Can you have a Christ-mas without the Christ? You can if you're heathen.

I can't seem to get in the holiday spirit this year.

Last year was much the same, but Andy was deployed, so it's to be expected when that mess is going on. This year I don't really have a reason. I never really feel like it's Christmas until I see two movies:
Bing Crosby's White Christmas
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

When I was growing up, I thought I hated being forced to sing Christmas carols and go to church. Now I find myself missing it. I grew up going to church almost every Sunday until I was about 12. I have rarely taken my kids to church, mostly holidays. One of my many shortcomings as a mother. I always said "once we get settled" we would start taking them to Sunday school. I don't like going every Sunday, but the kids should have a chance to learn the basics about Christianity so that they can make an informed decision of what they believe in when they're older. The problem is that I never quite have felt settled somewhere. I'm a moving junkie, and always looking for my next fix.

We are heading to Washington DC to spend the holidays with Andy's mom. It's been a rough year for her, and we are trying to be good children. The great thing about Andy's family is that they drink. My parents rarely have a beer or glass of wine, but when you spend time with Canadians, it's expected.

We are also going to visit my sisters, grandparents and mother in PA for two days heading down. It's not easy when your parents and your husbands parents are divorced during the holidays. We could spend all of our time going between them all, like the movie "Four Christmases". And so next year, I think we are going on a cruise for Christmas. Just us. Time to relax, be in warm weather and sunshine, and maybe pick up a church service or two.

Countdown to KP Duty

So, Andy comes home last night and tells me we are having 13-15 people over for Thanksgiving.

While this is not a new feat to tackle, I had hoped to keep our guestlist to a minimum number of single soldiers this year. I was thinking, 3 or 4. Instead, he invited ALL of the single soldiers and even a few couples. I am not a mean person, but I don't have room for all of these people. All night long, I find myself wondering "would it be wrong to make my kids, my parents or the soldiers eat in the other room?"

After I had my 5-minute freakout...I realized this is manageable. After the first several times you host large groupings of men in their late teens/early twenties and you see how much they eat, you don't feeling guilty handing out assignments as to what they can bring with them. Married couples have cooking facilities, so they are more than capable of providing some sort of side dish. Always give your husband the menu so he can relay what you are already making, dodging the awkwardness of "oh, ANOTHER jello mold!" (Okay, so no one makes jello molds anymore, but you get the idea.) Single soldiers can bring the rolls, the pies, the drinks...things that don't require cooking and that they can pick up at the store.

Another word to the wise, unless you want these people at your house for the next 24 hours, plan to eat around 1 or 2pm. Army guys have a tendency to like to drink beer, and before you know it, they are playing poker or watching football or napping while you trying to tame the carnage that is left. One New Years Eve, we had invited a couple over (my first time meeting them) and not only did she leave her drunk husband at my house for the night....she came back the next day with bags full of groceries, let herself in, cooked breakfast in MY kitchen while I was asleep, and proceeded to stay the entire next day until about 10pm!!! She didn't even bring her husband a change of clothes! I will never invite these people over again because I don't know if they will ever leave.

Buy yourself a bottle of wine and save it for after the dishes. Or better yet, put your feet up and enjoy a glass while your husband leads the platoon in KP duty.