|
ConfessionsCorner
BY NIKKI WILSON
Forget Visions Of Sugar Plums, I'm Dreaming Of June
Maybe it’s the cold weather getting to me. Maybe it’s that I honestly believe I’m solar-powered and, without ample sun, tend to shut down. Maybe it’s because I look better in blue and pink rather than red and green. Whatever the reason may be, I’m not really a fan of the holidays.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Fourth of July fireworks, and my Halloween costume is selected every year by August. I’m not talking about those holidays. I’m talking about the holidays. You know the ones. Those wintertime, too-much-food, too-much-family, my-cats-keep-eating-the-tinsel-off-my-tree holidays.
It starts in November with my “frienemy,” otherwise known as Thanksgiving. I understand the point of the holiday and, in many ways, I support it. Let’s go ahead and clear something up right here and now: I’m not against the meaning of the holidays, or the thought of spending time with family. I’m just against celebrating these holidays with my family. We’re not that close, in case you haven’t figured that out.
With my extended family in New York, holidays include awkward hugs, fart jokes, and the unspoken challenge between my brother and me to see who can embarrass the other one the most at the dinner table. It’s not a day I typically look forward to.
It doesn’t help that at my family dinner table, the company is always mixed on views of everything — from Obama to same-sex marriage, topics which always seems to pop up in conversation. There’s nothing like carving up a well-roasted, juicy piece of conservatism. And don’t forget to partake in a heaping helping of creamy, well-seasoned view on gay lifestyle. It’s enough to make me think that, instead of the turkey, I should’ve stuck my head in the oven.
And, of course, yippee, one month later there is Christmas Mourning — and no, that is not a typo. This holiday is filled with financial strain and my mother’s discerning eyes as she watches me open gifts, threatening that they better not end up on eBay like they did two years ago. The Grinch has nothing on her.
I would like to say that my mother at least tries to find gifts that are right for me, but that would convey the idea that she really knows her youngest daughter. Instead, complete with a disbelieving tone, she questions, “Since when do you like football?” With my Panthers ears poised and my tail pinned under my Delhomme jersey, I inform her yet again that my NFL craze hit about the same time as my love for the NHL (which includes believing Crosby can lead the Pens all the way to the Cup again this year).
Each year, I get the same questions involving my clothes, food preferences, music tastes, and where I go (and what I do!) on Friday nights. “When did that happen?” my mothers asks. About four years ago, Mother. Try to catch up.
OK, OK, it is the thought that counts. But when a gift lacks much thought and seems to merely answer the question, “How can I get her name checked off my list?” I find the sentiments are lost somewhere in the piles of wrapping paper.
That said, I do have more love for Christmas than turkey day. Each year, my nephew and I clean out his bedroom to make space for all of his new games and toys. (Read: My nephew plays Nintendo Wii, and I clean out his room.) Regardless, I can never see him enough; he’s the coolest 11-year-old I know, so I’ll take any time (and chore) in stride if it means having fun with him.
No matter how bad the holidays are, all is not lost. Every Christmas night, happy with the thoughts of another holiday behind me, I can be found commencing with my roommates after a long day. Here, we gather our thoughts, relinquish our family stories, and head out to the movies. (Christmas-feel-good movies are strictly prohibited.) After that, you can find me waiting patiently for the arrival of summer 2010 — if the holidays don’t finish me off first. If Thanksgiving and Christmas don’t knock me down, there's always Valentine’s Day right around the corner, right?
Is it June yet?
In addition to being a fan of the holidays, Nikki Wilson is the business manager for TCW and a freelance writer.
If you are interested in writing a guest blog for TCW, e-mail your topic idea and a writing sample to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed