Not your cup of tea.

[kyburg]

It's time for a vent - and frankly, that's all this is.

Remember last year, remember Thanksgiving with the 20 people in MAH HOUSE?

It appears that was too many people. Not for me, mind. In my mind, if I could seat them - AND I DID - I could do it that big.

I did not buffet line folks out into lawn chairs. I did not put them on paper plates and sit them on the couch.

But I had too many people. And now, younger brother (who, really has other reasons for not wanting to do it at my house) complains. And my mother, is gently suggesting I do Thankgiving for 'my friends' on another day.

I told her I need to win the lottery and make the house bigger. She laughed.

I guess my tribe - and that just may be the way my mind works - has more than blood relatives in it. And anyone who comes into my house - is one of mine. Maybe there's more to this 'bird' thing of mine - I'm not much of a cat, y'see. More of a bird - and perhaps when it comes to Mine, far more of a raptor-bird than anything else. (There are days I feel more sparrow-ish, all sound and fury and completely background noise.)

But that stung a bit. I had worked pretty hard to pull it all off last year - yes, everyone was seated at a place setting with the Good Stuff, all that. And I had done it with just Jim and some very directed task help.

Same quandrant, different issue - there was a football game grand-nephew was playing on a Saturday morning - frankly, the only game on the schedule we could make, the rest are at 2:00 in the afternoon, no chance in hell - and guess what.

Older brother is coming down to surprise him. This is the one who isn't talking to me, remember? Good thing Mom took me aside and warned me - because when younger talked to older about it, the consensus was? Not a good idea to show up.

I was the Good Sibling and acknowledged what an effort Older brother is making to do this (and it is, make no mistake about it) - and I'm going to go see betnoir for a good Halloween party instead.

It's stinging a bit.

Thankgiving is going to be spent on the road - I hope dinner is edible, but we're bringing two side dishes and the bread, so it can't be all bad - and while I'm talking to Mom about stuff the weekend after?

Mom won't see my house this year, unless something changes in that direction.

I'm going to go Priceline something for Thanksgiving night out there. I've had it. I'm going to have *something* that isn't a chore or a bone tossed to me after the fact.

Family. *grump* I spent last night dreaming of having nothing but work while I could hear people socializing in groups just out of my hearing. It doesn't take an expert to know what that represents. I remember most vividly falling asleep, wrapped in my knitting project because it was the only warm thing around.

Vent over. Big girl panties on, back to work.

Comments

[foogod.livejournal.com]

I don't know your relatives really at all, but I was just thinking.. maybe it wasn't the number of people that was the problem, but the fact that they were surrounded by a bunch of people they didn't really know?

For a lot of people, Thanksgiving is specifically a family holiday. I know that they're all "family" to you, but that doesn't mean they're automatically family to everybody else..

No matter how well you pulled off the technical details, logistics alone can't really fix that sort of problem..

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I dunno. Guess who's doing the cooking? Not him - he's enlisting a long-term gal pal.

Okay for the sibs to have friends over - but not me. Whatever.

[the-resa.livejournal.com]

Hey, I figure if you're gracious enough to feed the whole family for Thanksgiving -- so they don't have to cook themselves -- they should just say "thank you!" And if they're really unhappy, they can do the rest at their own homes.

But it's really bad form to complain about a free dinner, I think. (((sorrys))) And besides, I agree with you -- certain friends become family.

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

Errr..whew, this is awkward, as we were there for said Thankysday dinner.

Well, WE enjoyed ourselves. Willnae speak for nobbut else.

That being said...

I do lurves me the 'rentalWolves. But it has been a hard-fought Understanding that they get Christmas, but not Thankysday. Thankysday is for Chosen Family, whether it be you and unclejimbo or dedoc and damereading for LosCon.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I thought everything was fine - but I think younger brother is also griping about the drive, which is understandable - and might be the entire matter. But that would just be lazy talk, and that wouldn't be allowed. So. He's adding some logs to the fire.

By tossing my friends on the pile, because he can.

Oh, I'm not buying that for a minute. Sis had twenty people at a crack at her house, when she did it - it's okay for her, and not for me?

Not buying that one, either.

Feeling very used right now. Oh, well. Welcome to my place in the family tree.

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I'm with you. Family is DIFFICULT at best. Ugh. I hate feeling like the one who's expected to make all the compromises and sacrifices and, when I say, "This one doesn't work for me," then I'm demanding and the bad guy. Grrrr.