~Christmas Crazy~

I typically know that Christmas is around the corner about a week or two before Thanksgiving. Sadly, the reason I know is because of the stress due to my thinking brain. I start thinking about Thanksgiving all of the delicious food and all of the family that is going to be there. Since I never really cook much, I stress about what I might have to bring. (This I think is because I LOVE delicious food and my food is never as delicious as the food I eat.)
Following Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I go to hang out with friends and to see if I will ever truly understand the madness that causes people to push/shove and be mean to strangers for no reason other than a material object. I typically find something to buy, but never really go out hunting for anything in particular. I typically think about stuff Fielding might like or the family names we have for Christmas.
The family names are another stress for me. I don't like buying people the generic gift of a gift card. I don't know why exactly, but I like getting people a tangible gift they will love and use. (This doesn't count for books though.) It gives me the chance to get to know them a bit better or show that who they are matters to me.
The last kicker for me is seeing our families. We haven't figured out the family visiting schedule so each year seems to get crazier than the last. (especially since we like spending time with both.) This year we went to my family's Christmas Eve party and then headed over to Fielding's parent's to spend the night. The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast and then headed back over to my parent's about noon for brunch. After that we stuck around until three when we headed back to Fielding's parent's for dinner. After dinner we came home to a broken fridge.
It's funny because every year I seem to promise myself that I won't participate in the madness. I refuse to get stuck running around with my head cut off, but without fail each year I join the fray. I guess there is just some madness we can't get rid of. maybe it's genetic.