Growing up: the Christmas edition.

So, I married a man whose family celebrates holidays and birthdays with gusto. On his birthday, my Fuzzy got a phone call from each immediate family member (not that exciting, but wait, there's more) SINGING at the top of their lungs happy birthday. No preamble, no hello, every person just started hollering. Oh, I'm not knocking it, it's tremendously cute. But for someone who grew up refusing birthday parties and not calling or getting calls, this is very...festivious. (I just made that up on the spot. Good, huh?) We call every cousin and aunt, every possible relative, and sing into ears, voice mails, whatever. I gamely join in, but this is just weird to me. I had to be pinned up against a wall in Hong Kong for my team members to get to sing to me, and I was not pleased.
My idea of a good birthday party is one where no one pays attention to me, but mingles and has a blast all on their own. I would like to be the kind of hostess that Deists believe God is. He's here, He started it, but He's not really commanding the whole thing. That's the hostess I'd like to be. Keep this in mind as we discuss Christmas.

I'm sending out Christmas cards. No, Really, I am. To all Fuzzy's family, to some of mine, to our friends. I am notorious for failing to get any kind of card out on time. Especially thank you cards. (On this note, I'm glad I'm married, because if my mother had anything to say about what went on my tombstone, it would probably be Beloved daughter, wife, mother, and ingrate.)
This is the beginning of a transformation, my friends. I am choosing to-gasp- participate! All for my husband! What would the feminist agenda think of me?

But seriously, folks. It's really about setting up new traditions as a new family, and that's something I believe in. Up til now, I had no good reason to really celebrate Christmas. I never really wanted to get gifts, I loved giving them, don't get me wrong. They were super fun to give- the challenge of getting just the right one. My favorite kind of gift is something not on the person's list, something so rightly them that it was almost too obvious to see. Yeah, I like that.

So here's to all my young couple friends who are doing the same. Setting up a new family means getting to set up new family traditions, or keep old ones, or do a little mixing. I see it as my chance to honor old traditions, welcome those from my husband's family, and set a new standard with our own. Casting off what doesn't work in favor of building what does from scratch. Who cares if it's a little crooked? It's homemade.