Several Weeks Before Christmas

This time of year excites me to no end and even before Halloween decorations come out I'm already anticipating the time with the kids and grandkids.

I started shopping literally weeks ago. It won't hurt the wallet so bad if I spread this out.. right? Wrong. Trying to make sure everyone has a wonderful Christmas STILL hurts the wallet no matter how much you try to spread it out, and might make it worse. Afterall... there is a difference between what you spend in a few stores over a one week period of time as opposed to every store you have stepped foot in the past several weeks.

11 Days Before Christmas

"Mom I hope you don't mind but I'm not coming down for Christmas day. Do you think we can have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve?" I told her I didn't know, didn't plan to cause I can't contact everyone else while I'm on the phone with her. But, it would be nice if we could get everyone together .. but.. it's Christmas Eve, NOT Christmas.

Kid 1.. Okay, but he won't have his daughter with him till noon on Christmas day so he'll come both days, no problem.

Kid 2.. Phone's busy

Kid 3 .. Why is he not exactly giving me an answer? Then getting an attitude? Oh, but according to everyone else he isn't getting an attitude, and I just want a yes or no answer.

10 Days Before Christmas

Call the daughter that wanted it all changed to Christmas Eve and can't get ahold of her. She hasn't paid her phone bill again.

10 Days Before Christmas

Still can't get ahold of her but left a message with her significant other.

9 Days Before Christmas

This is getting frustrating trying to get ahold of her and by now my house looks trashed but packages are getting wrapped.

8 Days Before Christmas

Pack up and go clear to another state to get a gift for our youngest daughter.. it's become tradition.

6 Days Before Christmas

Youngest daughter calls..."Mom, can you babysit your grandchildren today?" (oldest daughter's kids) Uhm.. I'm not even home yet but will be in a few hours. I've got their presents all scattered to give it all one last go over and make sure it's all fair. I'm ill equipped to babysit on last notice. I'm sorry and I don't really want the youngest to babysit cause of the open present issue. Couldn't we have given me more notice? What's going on? "Dad, (I divorced this man.) wants Karen to come down and go shopping for her kids for Christmas." So... why can't his new wife babysit? Oh yeah, I know they make too much noise they are afterall children.

5 Days Before Christmas

STILL CAN'T Get Karen on the phone.. why won't she call me back?

4 Days Before Christmas

"Oh Mom, you said you were having dinner on Christmas so I told Dad I'd go there to eat." Funny, I recollect doubting I'd change but she should get back with me. Funny, I recollect spending weeks shopping for her kids and wrapping presents for her kids and her Dad, who is usurping her one evening down here, made her drive two hours down here to shop for her kids and then wrap the presents. Don't ask me why he can't manage this himself. I'm angry.. she's angry ..everyone's angry, Merry Fuckin' Christmas

3 Days Before Christmas

"Mom." My son says. "Can you babysit tonight cause Dad said I have to go shopping and wrap Lily's presents or he's just giving money." Uhm.. She's two. I don't have toys here for her, at least, not toys that aren't wrapped. He's worked all day hanging cabinets and now has to shop? I'd have to babysit while they go to Walmart then come back to his dad's house and wrap everything. And, no problem about dinner, he'll just go to his dad's house on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas day.. a couple hours, with us. Then he has to go see his significant other's father, come home and go to bed cause he has to get up and go two hours away to hang cabinets the day after Christmas. When, significant other's mother is coming down.

Other son is willing to change days but looks rather disgusted and I don't blame him since he and his roommates have planned Christmas dinner. And, finally my youngest calls back and is just plain pissed off cause it keeps changing. She too has another in her life she's trying to accomodate. And why didn't her dad invite her to dinner? In fact, my son only said he was going cause Karen said she was.. I'm not so sure he was invited either.

That son called and told me I don't have to babysit cause they are going tomorrow night.

Tomorrow is just two days before Christmas. My ex husband not only hasn't shopped but left it lay in my son's lap whether his daughter gets a Christmas gift from her grandfather.

I can't do this anymore. My current husband and I spend a lot of time to make sure they all have a wonderful Christmas. We manage to shop and wrap and clean and make messes and clean some more. We cook, we clean more, we decorate and everything. We also end up alone and it's pointless to keep this up.

Everyone is angry with me cause I either didn't accomodate them... or, tried to accomodate them and everyone had to change plans too. Then, after we all accomodated, she'd made other arrangements and blamed me, when I couldn't call her cause you have to pay your friggin' phone bill or they shut that stuff off! This all is my fault how?

For the first time I don't look forward to Christmas. It's hard on the kids to have to come here and go to see significant other's family and then.. you know that man who gets their birthday cards to them three months later? He makes them come do his part of Christmas. It can't keep up like this or they won't enjoy Christmas. So, as of three days before Christmas 2005 I have cancelled Christmas 2006.