Too Bad I Didn't Have More Breaks

If I would have had a break to blog, say, right after church this morning, I could have blogged about what a great service it was. Or, if I would have blogged after lunch, I could have talked about how fun it was to have a bunch of people helping Bart make our Christmas Eve brunch. Or, after running errands and taking Tony and Dominyk to a silly kids movie to get them out of the house, I could have blogged about how fun it was to hear Dominyk say, "I really liked that movie Mom. Thanks for taking us."

Or, if I would have had time to blog immediately after our 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service I could have blogged that I had just attended the best Christmas Eve service of my life. 270 people packed in a sanctuary with excellent music. I could have blogged about how Bart tripped and landed on the grand piano (flat hand on the piano keys) making a loud noise 15 minutes before service and that I missed it, much to my dismay. I could have blogged about how awesome the service was and how great it felt to sing Christmas carols with a brass and woodwinds orchestra and 269 other voices. I could have blogged about how innocent and perfect Dominyk looked holding his candle and singing "Silent Night."

Or, if I would have had time to blog immediately after dinner at the Chinese restaurant (our weird Christmas Eve tradition -- as it is one of the few places open and Bart never wants to cook (or eat what I would cook) between services). It was definitely the most well-behaved, calm Christmas Eve dinner we have ever had.

But instead, I am blogging now. We came home so that Salinda could open her birthday presents. I had tried to convince her in advance that this would not be a good time, but I usually let her choose because having been born on Christmas day she always seems to get the short end of the deal.



Bart and I bought her only one gift -- a digital camera -- so it was a nice gift, but she only had one to open. The other kids, as always had no money for her birthday. This really stinks because traditionally she has been the most generous of all. The fact that she only had 3 presents to open wasn't the sad part though. It was Kyle who had to start ranting about how he was going to have a sucky Christmas and Mike complaining that we probably spent more on Salinda than on anyone else (which is never true -- we always keep it even). Then Kyle and MIke started whining because Salinda wanted to have her birthday cake when THEY were full from supper.

I was trying to get a picture of Salinda with her cake while Kyle was screaming at Tony for eating in the family room. Mike decided it was his job to hold the cake and when I mentioned to him that I was trying to get a picture with Salinda holding the cake, he left the house in a huff, which Kyle blamed on me.

By this time Salinda just said she didn't want to have her cake yet and I started to tear up because it was impossible for her to have a good birthday and she cried too and we both cried a while. And then we had a talk and she got over it and I tried to -- and so did Bart.

But having very selfish people living here makes life hard sometimes for those who aren't, and it is hard to figure out a way to make it better. We haven't had Kyle and MIke both home for Christmas or a birthday together for over 2 years and we had forgotten just how awful it is.

holiday hell is what Cindy calls it -- and there has to be several horrible things in their past that make them respond to holidays this way. But it is very difficult to overcome their attitudes, no matter how hard we try.

So, tomorrow we'll get up and hopefully they'll have it out of their system. But for tonight we're feeling a little bleak.