Poor Me

No. Really, REALLY poor.

You know it's bad when you start looking around the house for things you might be able to post on Craig's list to score a little extra coin. I wonder if there is anyone out there in cyberspace who would like to buy a periodontal surgery textbook for somebody on their naughty list.

But this post is not meant to be a pity party. I've learned a lot of cool stuff from being flat broke...

Such as: when you can't afford presents, you don't have to get trampled to death by greedy shoppers. I can't go shopping right now, therefore, I get to avoid the crowds and think about what I would buy for all the people I love if I could. And that gets me thinking about why I love them. And then I get to spend my time thinking about all the really nice things people have done for our family instead of wondering if they would like the harvest spice tealight candles or the ones that smell like cucumber-peppermint-chamomile... Which they would probably end up putting in a drawer somewhere in their house, never to be lit... Or even worse: Regifted at their office white elephant gift exchange.

I also LOVE to put up my Christmas decorations. Especially my tree. It looks like a glowing snowball when it is all lit up, and it reminds me of the strange and wonderful circumstances by which we acquired it.

A few years ago, while we were living in Riverside, we all got the nastiest of flu bugs. We all felt like dying. To make matters worse, our heat was not working, and the gas company could not come out to fix it for a week. There was a ridiculous cold spell, such that we could see our breath in our own living room. And to top it off, Nathan needed to go to the doctor to get some antibiotics because he had an excruciating sore throat and fever that made me suspect strep. However, I was in no state to take him and neither was Wayne, so my mother-in-law kindly stepped in. While at the pharmacy, she called to see if we wanted a tree: Green or white. I quickly said green (as I am such a traditionalist), but was persuaded by Nathan to try the white, as he believed I would really enjoy it once I saw it. And he was quite right. We also enjoyed the heat Lynne brought along with her in the form of portable space heaters from the same drug store. I have the hardest time taking down that tree every year, because I love to bask in its soft glow every evening. And each time I do, I think of that Christmas, where we hung our ornaments clutching our barf bowls, and basking in the warmth of our little space heaters.

I've also learned how abundantly rich we are when it comes to family. Between my divorced parents and my in-laws, we have a plethora of choices as to where to spend the holidays. Granted, this has its pros and its cons. We recently got calls from both sides of our families dictating our holiday schedules: "Here's all the goings-on... Sorry you'll have so much travel time, but at least the gas prices are down... We'll have so much fun, we'll be whistling zippidy doo-dah out of our ---holes! (Sorry. It's a movie quote. Just think EARholes if you want the G-rated version.)" I first felt annoyed and a little put out by the presumptuousness (Sorry Mom and Mom, but it's true). And I thought, "Does this side of the family forget that we have that side of the family to accommodate as well? What about my own little family? When do our traditions get to happen? WHAT ABOUT ME?!?"

However, I have chosen now to look at the situation this way: "It is wonderful to know how many people want to share the Holidays with us! That's pretty cool!" While it is not likely we'll be able to make everyone happy and attend every family gathering we have been invited to, I will still enjoy spending time with some of my favorite people at the time of year when I feel most festive and joyous!

'Cause family is great. Isn't it?