There's a Young Man in the Corner, Playing "Crazy" All Night Long*

The natives are restless.

Working on 9 days of pretty much constant togetherness has Gabe and Lana almost at each other's throats. They have another week off. I'm concerned they might kill each other by the time January 5 rolls around. I'm really not sure how stay-at-home moms do this without Valium. (Or maybe there's a whole LOT of Valium you aren't telling me about?) (Kidding.) (Maybe.)

I wanted to write a post about how Christmas Eve is really the start of the Christmas season, and how the Christmas season lasts until Epiphany (January 6), and how we shouldn't see Christmas Day as the end of it all and then fall, kerplunk, into post holiday blues, because it's not really POST Holiday until January 7.

And all of that is technically true (if you're celebrating Christmas religiously, as opposed to celebrating Christmas simply culturally, which is fine, really, I understand everybody needs a little light and festivity here in the Western hemisphere where we are living through the darkest (literally) days of the year.) But, in as much as it is true, and as much as I am trying to celebrate BOTH religiously and culturally, I am failing in my ability to feel Christmas right now.

I have the post holiday blues.

Maybe it was because Christmas was so bizarre - lots of tension at my in-laws house. (As a side note, does anyone think it's kind of rude to pick family fights on Christmas Day? Isn't it kind of selfish? To make EVERYONE feel lousy? I ask because I understand that there's a LOT of family fighting at Christmas get-togethers, and we had one this year and it made me want to cry. Well, what it DID do was cause me to hide in the guest room and read the first chapter of Christopher Moore's new novel, Fool, which he posted on-line at his website here. The whole book will be out on February 10. Huzzah.)

Also, I'm extremely angry with Toys R Us. And I might post my angry letter to them on my blog tomorrow, because, well, I'm just that ticked off about it. We actually have a Toys R Us credit card, which is going to be cancelled tomorrow, because, well, I'm that ticked. (And also we don't really use it much anymore since we stopped needing to buy diapers, and they drastically decreased their reward program.) They have always had poor customer service, but today really took the cake.

What is the point of all this?

Um...yeah. Post-holiday blues. Children at each other's throats. General feeling of malaise. Extended family tension. Craptacular customer service. Why is this the most wonderful time of year again?

I am looking forward to some nice, laid back and delicious plans we have for New Year's Eve with some good friends. I'm hoping that will cheer me right up. In the meantime, I'm going to curl back up with some bluesy music and a book and hide from my children.

LM

*Cowboy Junkies, Where are You Tonight