Then we would have breakfast casserole and head out for Des Moines for an afternoon of more presents and eating. My grandparents house in Des Moines was ok, but it turned Christmas into an excessively long day of increasingly distant relatives.
Along came college. This is where Christmas really took a nosedive for me. As Clare and I were together all through my college career, it was very hard on us because we were apart normally on Christmas. This in itself didn't make the holidy completely suck, but it sure didn't help things. What made it suck is the constant battle between my father and I regarding grades, money, career choices, work ethic, and pretty much anything else he could think of to argue with me about. On top of all that, my "perfect" brother and his "fantastic" girlfriend/fiancee/wife entered the picture and just made things more unpleasant. Needless to say the Christmas season and vacation time was not really all that pleasant to me.
Finally, now that Clare and I are married (really this is only our second Christmas together as husband and wife) I have put an end to the split Christmas (Boston was a whole different situation which I may discuss later) and we spend it with her family. Because of the grace and kindness of Clare and the rest of her family Christmas is definately becoming the experience it should be.
So I have mixed feelings about Christmas. Mostly things are happy and positive now, but the old emotions occasionally show up this time of year. A new wrinkle to this years story is that I haven't talked to my father directly for a few months except to tell him that the bank was robbed, and I really don't speak to my mother much. The next week may well define my relationship with my side of the family for years to come.
Anyway, I am looking forward to Christmas this year, and not just for the gifts. I am looking forward to being with my wife and a family that will love and support us no matter what.
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