Thankschristmas
Well, its noon here at the family house...and we're still yet to open the gifts. I get the impression that we are waiting for after dinner before we rip into the colored paper. I can't help chomping at the bit...I've always been impatient when it comes to presents. Is one of them a fun DVD? A Playstation 3? Sock puppets? Who knows what it could be...and I suppose the anticipation is half the fun. Frankly though, I wish my Uncle Mike didn't drag his feet so much in getting things going. He likes to pretend that he's waiting for my grandmother to want to do things, but really the majority of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is spent with us waiting on him to decide when he's ready to push forth. Its not surprising really, he's a fairly self-centered individual and always has been. I don't mean to say that he's a nasty person or that I don't love him, because both are false...I just mean that he's never had much use for worrying about someone else's feelings (other than my grandparents').
The Thanksgiving day parade was fun for the most part...though I think I had more fun watching it last year. It was awesome to see Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon, and Gloria Gaynor in the parade and I even enjoyed some of the adolescent bands they had playing. The floats were great too, as usual. Of course, I had the fun of Dad and Uncle Mike griping about this or that in the parade ("It sure is different from when we were kids.....Every float is a commercial...They chose upbeat songs to hide the fact that they couldn't perform"). I'm starting to wonder if cynicism is a disease rather than a mindset. Of course, I'm cynical about things too...but I think its always rude to be such a prat when there are people in the room trying to enjoy something. It wasn't long before Mike switched the television to broadcasting two channels (without asking anyone) and the parade became something that was only being watching in a secondary fashion. I wish we were in my house so I could inconvenience my guests with my whims and fancies. Then I guess I could be the one who acts like a dick.
J.P. called me right before Santa appeared on the screen and wanted to know how I was doing. It was kinda sweet actually and reminded me of when I had a boyfriend and he would call me on holidays. Not that J.P. is a dating prospect...he isn't...we'd kill each other if we tried to date I think. But he's a very good friend and it always feels nice when someone thinks of you at the holidays...someone who isn't your parent or sibling that is. Now that he's off the phone and we're sitting infront of the television again, we've switched to the second family holiday tradition...the James Bond marathon. Right now the featured film is License to Kill which I've always enjoyed. We're a little more than halfway through now, and its only a matter of time until Timothy Dalton blows up Wayne Newton's complex. Its also fun to see a young Benicio Del Toro play one of the thugs to the main baddie...especially since he has The Wolfman coming out in a few months. Speaking of films, I'm surprised that the parade didn't have more film advertising attached. The only trailers I remember seeing were for Fantastic Mr. Fox, It's Complicated, and The Princess and the Frog and I feel like there are usually more. Of course, the majority of the advertising is dedicated to Black Friday and holiday shopping ads...and I have to say that the majority of those seem really lame. Only one HDTV deal stood out to me, and that is the one being featured at Walmart (a Sony 40 inch 1080i for under $600) and the rest are fairly disappointing. Its beginning to look like a rather disappointing Christmas season...or perhaps its just me.
(Addition at 7:22 pm)...well we did the presents and I got a few fun things just to have things to open, but I'll be seeing all these guys again during the month of December so I'll be getting my real gifts then. As for what I actually got...I got some cash from Uncle Mike to help me with some bills...which is nice of him considering my student loans become due at the end of next month. Miss J. got me a copy of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and a few stocking stuffers...and pops got me a stocking stuffer as well. It was a cute Christmas, and I know that there is more to come later. Not that getting gifts is what its all about...but we all like getting special things for Christmas. I need to resume Christmas shopping as soon as possible now, so I can get everyone something again...not that I really have to...but I like giving gifts. I feel like if I go to a gift giving function and I don't have something for people to open, then I have failed. Plus, its just nice to see people enjoy what you got for them. Everyone seemed to enjoy their gifts at this go-around, so I can only hope I'll do as well next time. Oh, and I can't tell you enough how happy I am that I get two full checks in January to cushion the fall-out from Christmas. Well, I guess that's it for Thankschristmas...now onward to the next stage of the holidays!
The Thanksgiving day parade was fun for the most part...though I think I had more fun watching it last year. It was awesome to see Cyndi Lauper, Carly Simon, and Gloria Gaynor in the parade and I even enjoyed some of the adolescent bands they had playing. The floats were great too, as usual. Of course, I had the fun of Dad and Uncle Mike griping about this or that in the parade ("It sure is different from when we were kids.....Every float is a commercial...They chose upbeat songs to hide the fact that they couldn't perform"). I'm starting to wonder if cynicism is a disease rather than a mindset. Of course, I'm cynical about things too...but I think its always rude to be such a prat when there are people in the room trying to enjoy something. It wasn't long before Mike switched the television to broadcasting two channels (without asking anyone) and the parade became something that was only being watching in a secondary fashion. I wish we were in my house so I could inconvenience my guests with my whims and fancies. Then I guess I could be the one who acts like a dick.
J.P. called me right before Santa appeared on the screen and wanted to know how I was doing. It was kinda sweet actually and reminded me of when I had a boyfriend and he would call me on holidays. Not that J.P. is a dating prospect...he isn't...we'd kill each other if we tried to date I think. But he's a very good friend and it always feels nice when someone thinks of you at the holidays...someone who isn't your parent or sibling that is. Now that he's off the phone and we're sitting infront of the television again, we've switched to the second family holiday tradition...the James Bond marathon. Right now the featured film is License to Kill which I've always enjoyed. We're a little more than halfway through now, and its only a matter of time until Timothy Dalton blows up Wayne Newton's complex. Its also fun to see a young Benicio Del Toro play one of the thugs to the main baddie...especially since he has The Wolfman coming out in a few months. Speaking of films, I'm surprised that the parade didn't have more film advertising attached. The only trailers I remember seeing were for Fantastic Mr. Fox, It's Complicated, and The Princess and the Frog and I feel like there are usually more. Of course, the majority of the advertising is dedicated to Black Friday and holiday shopping ads...and I have to say that the majority of those seem really lame. Only one HDTV deal stood out to me, and that is the one being featured at Walmart (a Sony 40 inch 1080i for under $600) and the rest are fairly disappointing. Its beginning to look like a rather disappointing Christmas season...or perhaps its just me.
(Addition at 7:22 pm)...well we did the presents and I got a few fun things just to have things to open, but I'll be seeing all these guys again during the month of December so I'll be getting my real gifts then. As for what I actually got...I got some cash from Uncle Mike to help me with some bills...which is nice of him considering my student loans become due at the end of next month. Miss J. got me a copy of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and a few stocking stuffers...and pops got me a stocking stuffer as well. It was a cute Christmas, and I know that there is more to come later. Not that getting gifts is what its all about...but we all like getting special things for Christmas. I need to resume Christmas shopping as soon as possible now, so I can get everyone something again...not that I really have to...but I like giving gifts. I feel like if I go to a gift giving function and I don't have something for people to open, then I have failed. Plus, its just nice to see people enjoy what you got for them. Everyone seemed to enjoy their gifts at this go-around, so I can only hope I'll do as well next time. Oh, and I can't tell you enough how happy I am that I get two full checks in January to cushion the fall-out from Christmas. Well, I guess that's it for Thankschristmas...now onward to the next stage of the holidays!
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