The Festivus Thread
Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:59 am
We all know how Festivus starts…with the airing of Grievances. Use this space to bitch about the holidays, family, and the like.
So, this year, as per usual, my brother and his wife are coming to Raleigh. To add spice to the impending doom, she’s gone and invited her kids to come along. Sounds innocuous, right? WRONG! Her kids are 18 and 13, live with their respective fathers (husbands 1 and 2 (she’s only 36)) in Washington State, and rarely venture east. Why is she doing this? Lord knows. Want me to speculate? Sure.
She does all she can to ooze her way into the family. So, since we now have 2 kids, she needs to bring her 2 kids into the fold. Of course, we can all see through this. My parents, as it is, nicely tolerate her. My mother can’t trust her because she more or less left her 2 kids, flew across the country and started a new life because, we assume, she couldn’t handle motherhood. My father’s concerned because his son seems to be married to a more or less spineless narcissist.
Me? I just don’t like her. She rubs me WAY the wrong way.
So, the kids come in on red eyes on Dec 21. The MD parents (as they are) arrive in NC a day later. The boys are spending their vacation at my parents’ house…in NC.
Why does this bother me so much? Is it because my children won’t get all the attention? No…that’s not it. I’m pissed because now we have to buy these kids gifts. And what do teenage boys want? They want gift cards to Game Stop. $50 each. So, there’s $100 we didn’t plan to spend right out the damn window. Do you know how much $3 Chuck $100 gets you? (Well…if you can perform simple math, you’d know the answer is 33…with $1 left over to go towards the rehab fund)
We’ve met the younger kid once…3+ years ago at the wedding. I would not know him if he fell from the sky and landed on my desk. The older one visited last summer (and came here to NC) and he’s fun in a “corrupt an 18 year old who you have no responsibility over whatsoever kind of way”. But still…now we have to get them gifts.
But Jerkface, you all say, they’re buying your kids gifts, aren’t they? Isn’t that only fair?
No…it’s not. My daughters are my brother’s family. These 2 kids are just 2 kids who happened to pass through my sister in law’s birth canal. They’re no more my family than they are hers. But, they’re costing me $100. And, if memory serves, because the MD twosome are flying to NC (And bitching about the cost to fly 2 kids in from Seattle AND to purchase 2 tickets from DC to RSU), gifts for our kids may be lean. Or, they’ll just tell my mother to shop for the girls. And, that (gifts from my mother) will be a post for a later date. My point is that my brother SHOULD buy gifts for his nieces. He has a relationship with them. It’s what you do for family.
PS: When we asked how much to get on the cards…she replied “$50 each” and my brother said “We don’t want to force you into any amount…whatever you think is right”. See how that works?
Did I also mention that I think I have an ulcer developing? That will mean limited wine consumption for me in the coming weeks. I don’t know if I can do this sober. Is it wrong to take up crack for the holidays?
Feel free to post all you want in this thread. We don’t judge here at Festivus. We air grievances. Later, we’ll have feats of strength.
So, this year, as per usual, my brother and his wife are coming to Raleigh. To add spice to the impending doom, she’s gone and invited her kids to come along. Sounds innocuous, right? WRONG! Her kids are 18 and 13, live with their respective fathers (husbands 1 and 2 (she’s only 36)) in Washington State, and rarely venture east. Why is she doing this? Lord knows. Want me to speculate? Sure.
She does all she can to ooze her way into the family. So, since we now have 2 kids, she needs to bring her 2 kids into the fold. Of course, we can all see through this. My parents, as it is, nicely tolerate her. My mother can’t trust her because she more or less left her 2 kids, flew across the country and started a new life because, we assume, she couldn’t handle motherhood. My father’s concerned because his son seems to be married to a more or less spineless narcissist.
Me? I just don’t like her. She rubs me WAY the wrong way.
So, the kids come in on red eyes on Dec 21. The MD parents (as they are) arrive in NC a day later. The boys are spending their vacation at my parents’ house…in NC.
Why does this bother me so much? Is it because my children won’t get all the attention? No…that’s not it. I’m pissed because now we have to buy these kids gifts. And what do teenage boys want? They want gift cards to Game Stop. $50 each. So, there’s $100 we didn’t plan to spend right out the damn window. Do you know how much $3 Chuck $100 gets you? (Well…if you can perform simple math, you’d know the answer is 33…with $1 left over to go towards the rehab fund)
We’ve met the younger kid once…3+ years ago at the wedding. I would not know him if he fell from the sky and landed on my desk. The older one visited last summer (and came here to NC) and he’s fun in a “corrupt an 18 year old who you have no responsibility over whatsoever kind of way”. But still…now we have to get them gifts.
But Jerkface, you all say, they’re buying your kids gifts, aren’t they? Isn’t that only fair?
No…it’s not. My daughters are my brother’s family. These 2 kids are just 2 kids who happened to pass through my sister in law’s birth canal. They’re no more my family than they are hers. But, they’re costing me $100. And, if memory serves, because the MD twosome are flying to NC (And bitching about the cost to fly 2 kids in from Seattle AND to purchase 2 tickets from DC to RSU), gifts for our kids may be lean. Or, they’ll just tell my mother to shop for the girls. And, that (gifts from my mother) will be a post for a later date. My point is that my brother SHOULD buy gifts for his nieces. He has a relationship with them. It’s what you do for family.
PS: When we asked how much to get on the cards…she replied “$50 each” and my brother said “We don’t want to force you into any amount…whatever you think is right”. See how that works?
Did I also mention that I think I have an ulcer developing? That will mean limited wine consumption for me in the coming weeks. I don’t know if I can do this sober. Is it wrong to take up crack for the holidays?
Feel free to post all you want in this thread. We don’t judge here at Festivus. We air grievances. Later, we’ll have feats of strength.