My sister came down on Thursday night. That day I woke up and got to work. Dusted, washed all the blankets in the guest room, cleaned the kitchen, dried the blankets, vacuumed, folded all the blankets and put them back, sprayed air freshener throughout the house, worked on dishes in the kitchen more and got to the real laundry. I was done by noon and kept a lookout for her until I had to take a short nap late afternoon. She didn’t get here until seven.
Well, she wanted food eventually, so we ordered takeout. Before that she dug into my chips and after that she ate some of my mother’s yogurt as well as searched for candy. Eventually she hunkered down and feel asleep. She of course woke again in the middle of the night.
The effects of her arrival… I was quickly drained though I only saw her for two hours and went to bed at nine. Mom was likely drained too. The cats were terrified and the dogs were hyper to only be exhausted. Dad… I have no idea.
My dad took off Christmas Eve. He woke me up at eight thirty and we headed out for groceries. My back was still hurting from the stress my sister caused the night before. We got what was on the list and headed home. After putting everything up, I ate breakfast at nine. I had no appetite, but ate anyway. I got to talk to a friend online for a bit until he went out for brunch. I collapsed after that and slept until four.
Upon waking I found my sister had slept all day, my mom was back and she was taking a nap and dad was up. I felt sorry for him. He was home for the day, but I was asleep. Poor Dad…
Well, at five we went out to eat this time. My brother’s birthday passed, but we could do nothing for him since he had to work and all of that. So, that night he got a birthday dinner. It was nice pretty much. My sister nagged my dad for getting a salad though so he changed what he was going to order. Mom and I were annoyed. Poor Dad couldn’t eat without my sister getting onto him. Well, she paid for the meal at least.
Anyway, after that we got back, I’m pretty sure everyone settled into their own thing. Yes, last night is a blur to my memory. I believe my sister got to her laptop, mom might have gotten on hers or watched TV. Dad, he might have been doing the same as mom. I was on the computer reading, I’m sure.
In between that mom and I did some chores, like folding clothes and getting some things in order. She also got to working on making some banana nut bread, a tradition of hers, and had me assist while I was washing dishes.
I stayed up late last night and in the middle of the night got to work on the stocking stuffers. My sister had woken up in midst of this and asked if I had any sleep meds she could take. I don’t take sleep meds. Jeez. Well, she later on made popcorn from what I could tell by the scent in the house and my dad woke up ate some point because I heard him talking to her.  I think I went to bed around three.
Well, Christmas Day came. I didn’t wake up until eleven. Cleaning a bit, I cooked some leftover rice from Thursday night. Mom and Dad showed up from Morning Mass soon after and Dad took some pictures of Mom and her pup. I got to cleaning off the kitchen counter and pretty soon my dad was working on the Christmas meal by tacking the potatoes.
Dad then took his dog for a walk a bit before my brother arrived around twelve. My sister woke sometime around then as well. Once Dad was back and the food was worked on a bit more, we settled into the living room. Grabbing a trash bag, a knife and some scissors, we got to business.
As years go by, the present count has flipped. Mom and Dad get the most gifts. It is a good thing. My sister got Dad the top gifts this year. It was a photography manual and a wallet. Mom’s greatest highlight was a Nook. My brother’s greatest highlight was high thread count sheets. Mine? Mine was a rose I saw a long time ago, earlier this year. It is a real rose that was dipped in 24k gold. I was surprised my mom remembered and actually got it. We intend to put it in a shadow box later.
Well, after that everyone got to their things. Travis was helping my Mom figure out her Nook, my sister got on her laptop, Dad got back to cooking and I sought solace in my cat, because having him for another Christmas is a joy. After Peabody’s death… yeah… I am grateful for all the Christmases I get to have with my pets.
By three, “dinner” was ready. It was a good feast. There was corn on the cob, put-back potatoes, asparagus, ham and rolls.  Once I ate my share I cut of some ham and gave the cats small shares. It is their Christmas, too, after all. They were grateful. Poor buggers… I doubt it was a perfect consolation for what they‘ve been through with my sister, but hopefully it made them happy.
After that I got to cleaning the dishes. Cleaned and dried the plates, stocked up the dishwasher with pots, platters and silverware after scrubbing them clean, cleaned off the counters as well as the table. Mom was packaging leftovers during this.
When I did all that I could, Mom and I talked a bit and then I headed for my room. I cuddled my cat, read a children’s Christmas book and then found I couldn’t stay awake. My back was hurting again and I needed a nap. I slept until nine.
All was right when I woke again. My sister was gone by then, my brother left, my dad was in bed and my mom was up fiddling with her Nook. Upon rising, I hugged her and checked her progress. We chatted, venting to each other about my sister’s nagging. Hilary badmouthed my mom’s dog as usual, saying he had Down Syndrome. She badmouthed my Dad’s dog saying he was fat. This morning when she and I were seeking out some lotion (it is really dry here) she whispers to me how dirty the house is. The list could go on, but those are the main things that come to mind.
We even complained to each other about her past behaviors as well. The sad thing is, my sister has no idea how insensitive she is. She is down right cruel and mean, but she doesn’t even realize it. Mom was just glad Dad never heard her comment about the house. She said it would have broken his heart. Sigh. We love my sister, but she is a major bitch.
Anyway, rejuvenated once more, I got to cleaning the kitchen some more and handled some laundry. After that I ate some leftover soup from Thursday just to get rid of it. Really, I have had no appetite since the holidays started… which is when my sister showed up. Heh.
Well, it is almost over. Tomorrow my eldest brother and his fiancée will arrive. The family will give them their presents and we’ll eat a dinner of spaghetti together. I hope they like what I got them.
That is all, I guess. Thank god, that is all. Heh.