On Holidays

I am happy to report I am not of a cynical mindset towards the holidays this year. In fact, I'm quite looking forward to them. Mostly the time with family and the good food and how the holiday season with family just provides a warmth and comfort about life that nothing else does.

I'm supposing that last year must have just been really good to leave me looking forward to this year. In fact, I even added a few Christmas songs to my iPod for when December hits (I usually avoid Christmas music).

I've been eating really healthy in anticipation for the days when I will, inevitably, pig out. My mouth could practically start watering at the thought of bbq turkey, stuffing, pumpkin dessert, and then on to Christmas with bon-bons, iced cookies, homemade carmels, and our family tradition of a different type of ethnic food each year.

For our family, the holiday season really kind of kicks off this coming weekend, when my mom's side of the family congregates at a hotel for a sort of combined Thanksgiving/Christmas get together. I can't believe its already time for the weekend signifying the start of all things holiday.

I'm thinking the reason that the holidays provide this comfort and security is because they become so predictable. Take this weekend for example, I know one group will play Hand 'n Foot almost the whole time, the guys will have an ultra-competitive game of basketball that they will talk incessantly about the rest of the evening, and I'll avoid the deathly humid pool area with the splashing kids as much as possible. Or at Christmas, I know our standard dinner/present routine will continue and by late night we'll be perched up on all available counter space in the kitchen with Kevin eating yet another piece of ice cream dessert and mom refusing to move away from the sink because the dishes must be done instantaneously. If we're lucky, Molly will go off on a passionate tangent and dad will get into an outrageous comment mood that will make Laura wonder how she ever got into this family.

I guess in a life that is constantly unpredictable, it's nice to know that some things will never change.