For the past several years my wife and I have hosted her family for a big, extended and usually exhausting good old fashioned family Christmas. Air mattresses are inflated, beds are given up, and usually at some point feelings are hurt. It is just part of the fun.
I grew up in the same town that both sides of my family had occupied for at least 4 generations, so this was all a very new and frightening experience for me. As much as the Griswold family is part of my Christmas tradition, the past few years have resembled the Christmas Vacation movie just a bit too closely, minus the SWAT team and kidnapping.
We knew this year going in that this was sure to be an interesting one. 21 Days before Christmas Granny-in law fell and broke her hip. 2 days before the event Dad-inlaw has surgery on his wrist and shoulder. Brother in-law and family leave Tennessee only to run headlong into an ice storm on the way to Ohio...my thoughts were that "hey, for these guys it can only get better from here on out."
As it would turn out, it got a whole lot better for us all. This is the 4th Christmas we have hosted my entire in-law side for Christmas. This is the 4th time we have had 10 extra people and a dog at our home for several nights. This is the first time that I can actually say on record that everyone had a good time without fearing coal in my sock for telling a lie so close to Christmas.
It could be that I finally have the hang of hosting a big old-fashioned family Christmas. It could be that I finally have learned to embrace that sacrifices it takes to turn your home into a full service all inclusive Christmas themed resort. I actually enjoyed myself. I loved it to be honest. I even got the chance to try my hand at cooking the roast beast, turkey to be more specific. And it was actually delicious. My fear of the dried out shell of a bird that Clark cut into was replaced by the joy of receiving several compliments from the group, even though they are quick to remind me that they are "ham people."
The children actually played great together, there were no broken bones or stitches, just a few broken toys and some mysterious shards of glass. Not bad considering there were 7 kids running through the house for 3 days.
Meals were all edible and most were even memorable. New recipes attempted were all a hit. Absent were the usual arguments about how much nutmeg is necessary here or who's recipe this really is or who spent more on their respective contribution to the feast. It was all laid out before us like a well oiled catering service and was just as scrumptious. The leftovers will surely carry us well into the coming week, one of the spoils of hosting.
All in all it was a great weekend. The house has now been all but put back together, the beds stripped and towels washed, and it actually seems a bit too quiet around here to be honest.
Maybe next year we'll go for 4 nights...or maybe invite more of the extended family...we were sort of missing the "Cousin Eddie" aspect this year...
Then again, there is something to be said for tradition, and sanity.
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