Ho Ho Home for the Holidays

Sort of.
My family has never been big on Holiday gatherings. When my mom and dad got married they chose to avoid in-law issues by having the holiday meals at our house, and since no one else wanted to travel, either, I do not remember a single Holiday dinner with cousins or grandparents.  We always had a full house.  My mom could not stand to have people alone on the Holidays, we had standards that came every year, adopted family that loved us like grandparents, but we also always had strays that mom would pick up from a chance meeting and a "gee, if you are going to be alone, why don't you come by our house?"  As we grew up and went away, got married, rebelled against all things home, Mom got all proactive about seeing her kids and again, not fighting with in-laws, and started scheduling a not-Christmas meal.  When I was in Oregon, it would often be on a weekend before, sometimes a "Solstice Celebration" or just whatever random day we could all get there.  I have not been home in the winter in years.  I think the only time I made it when there was snow was for my father's funeral in February back in '88.  Wow - and I'm the family snow baby.  I need a winter field trip.


Anyway - last Wednesday, Christmas eve eve, the family gathered.  And I got to join them.  It was a little anti-climatic, I did not have the darling girl, and face it, my family wants to see me because I am direct access to the adorable granddaughter/niece, but it was fun.  We skyped.  My brother and sister and families were at my Mom's, and we all got to see each other on the little computer screen.  They got to meet my dogs, see my husband, whom no one has seen since our honeymoon 6 years ago. They opened all of the Wild Child Pics presents we sent - I love my family, they get my quirky, dark sense of humor and they genuinely seemed to like their gifts.


I'm still a little uncomfortable with the skype thing.  Sometimes video is not in sync with audio and it looks like a really bad japanese monster movie, I don't like looking at myself on screen - or maybe it more of a morbid fascination and I am constantly watching myself to determine if I look too much like an idiot.  Very reminiscent of the 2001 Space Odyssey, when the lead calls home from outer space and talks to his family on the large video screen.  Wow - we are living the future.  With our video conferencing and com-devices.  Where is my hover car?