Why We Drink at the Holidays

Whooosh! is right.  Already a week has passed since you wrote, and I was thinking it had only been a couple of days.

It's been kind of a weird week around here. Football is over, so our nights are very quiet. I'm not complaining about it; it's quite nice to come home after work, put on my slippers, and know that I don't have to leave the house again until tomorrow.  I can undertake baking projects without being interrupted. I can cook real dinners. I can drink wine :)

My parents are coming up for Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to that.  Unfortunately, my crazy brother and his crazy wife have decided to turn it into yet another Jerry Springer episode by declining my invitation to Thanksgiving dinner.  The first email I got was a simple "No thanks".  This, while confusing, was just fine with me, considering I really don't care what the hell they do.  But no, two days later he sent me a four-page email "explaining" his first email.  It was four pages of all the things that my parents, his girlfriend and I have done wrong, leading him to this awful place in his life.  He went on to say that he's just fine now, feeling good.  Seriously, B, it went on for four pages of self-centered, blame placing, immature drama about how they're moving because I'm not nice to them. How it's my fault they weren't invited to T's Halloween party (huh?!) and how much that hurt their feelings. And then, how they don't feel welcome in my home so they're going to blow off their entire family and not come to Thanksgiving.

What the f*** ever, bro.  I couldn't even imagine how to respond, so I didn't.  Then today, he sent an email to my parents inviting them to his house instead.  My dad was beside himself with anger and isn't going to respond either.

I'm so tired of it all, but in the end I'm just so sad.  I have no idea what goes on his messed up head and I have no control over his choices, but it makes me sad to think that he is going to alienate even his parents, at this point in their lives. I can only imagine how hard this is for them.

Anyway, it's been weighing on my mind so much over the past few days that I really need to get out of this mire and get on with my own life.  I can't get sucked into his weird drama, and I'm never going to make sense of any of it.

So, my folks, and their friends who live out on the Sound, are coming for the day.  With the crap going on with my brother, I haven't even worried about M being there too, possibly with the dumb-as-dirt new girlfriend.  Yet.


Aaaahhhh.....the holidays with family.

Gotta love it.

xoxo
A