The holidays became hard for my parents at one point. Their three kids left the house to get married. Oh, we didn’t move far. But, things had changed.
“I knew it!” my mother whispered out loud one day. “I knew this was going to happen.”
My eldest brother and I had married into the same family. I met my husband at an engagement party. My brother married my husband’s sister. We shared the same in-laws.
My husband and I had just broken the news to my parents that we would be spending our first Thanksgiving together……….at my in-laws house. My brother would be eating turkey at that house too.
“But, they already get Wayne! And, now you too? This is so not fair.” my mother uttered. She was usually pretty careful to keep her opinions to herself. But, it slipped out.
You see……….Thanksgiving was a huge deal to my new mother in law. It was HER day my husband told me. Well, “We’ll see.” I thought. But, I wasn’t fighting this fight just a few months after our wedding. I mean……..you got to let the husband think he has some say in this stuff.
My mother had tears in her eyes at the loss of a crowd at Thanksgiving.
I had to spin this. I had to take away her sadness.
I grabbed her and squished her into the bathroom and shut the door. My parent’s house was small. Privacy was hard to find.
“Ma! Knock it off! Michael’s chin is coming out. That means he’s about to put his foot down. Let my new folks have Thanksgiving. It’s all part of my plan.” I said in a loud whisper.
“Your plan?” she whispered back as she washed her face with cold water.
“This way………you get Christmas. What time do you want us here for Christmas?” I said in a hurry. I knew we couldn’t take up the one and only bathroom in the house for long.
My mother straightened herself up. She dried her face. She looked in the mirror and poofed up her hair.
“The night before.” she answered.
“Ma! You’re pushing it!” I replied as I hung up her towel.
“I don’t care how late you get here.” she insisted.
“OKay. I’ll see what I can do. But, I want a Christmas tree in the window of my old bedroom. All lit up. And, the cat sleeps with me.” I countered.
“Deal!” she said.
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