Stuff It Up Your Stocking

I spent an entire day Wednesday searching for an electric frying pan or electric jar opener from Black and Decker. All the stores I went to were out of them and the employees looked at me like I was crazy when I asked them if they had any. Because it was 3 days before Christmas. But I wasn't even the idiot who left the shopping until then. I was done with my shopping. It was my dad. But he doesn't like shopping. Or planning in advance. Or paying in advance for that matter. So even though he had to go to Southcenter mall anyways to pay a bill, he still sent me to three malls looking for things he could give my mother. I ended up buying an overpriced personal DVD player that she wanted, wrapping it up and cursing my way through the day. But did he say thank you? No. "Oh, and while you're out... could you get all the stocking stuffers?"

And later that night I had to go to my sister's house for dinner and to spend the night. The dinner was just for me because it was my birthday dinner. But my mom and dad threw a fit because they wanted to be invited. But my sister said no. But Wayne, instead of just dropping me off, jumped out of the car ahead of me, ran up the steps into my sister's house and made himself comfortable. Then when my sister and her husband had to leave to take their dog to the doggie ER, my brother cried to me about how selfish I was for not spending more time with him even though I had just spent the entire day with him shopping for that stupid DVD player. These were his reasons...
1. I didn't go shopping with him on Monday
2. He was better than me because he visited me on Friday
3. I always brought other people along
4. My "one minute" always means "one hour"
So I yelled at him. In sign. And I told him the following...
1. I had the flu on Monday. He knew that. But did anybody call me at all that day to ask if I was okay? No.
2. He came over on Friday with his laptop and said two words to me. Hi and Good-bye. He came over for the wireless internet, not for me.
3. I care about a lot of people and I'm only here for 2 weeks.
4. My "one minute" means "one hour" when I spend that "one minute" with him too.
And then I told him to shove it and grow up. And then we played darts.

I hate Christmas because we never do anything but argue. Nobody plans anything and then when we're in the middle of an unplanned day somebody gets mad at somebody else for not planning anything who then blames somebody else for being lazy and then the tree starts on fire. I do have a few traditions. This is what they are...
1. I buy all the stocking stuffers (which I didn't do this year)
2. I go grocery shopping for all the "holiday food" (which I didn't do this year)
3. I ignore them yelling at me for getting the wrong things and spend both days in the kitchen cooking meals and treats with my headphones on
4. We eat the same breakfast of English muffins, sausage, eggs and orange juice on Christmas plates and glasses.
5. We open presents... well, we watch Wayne open presents.
6. We go take naps (I read a book)

I have to be at my mother's house by noon. I don't know when I can leave on Christmas. Probably not until evening. It's after eleven so I'd better go pack the essentials... my headphones and my big bottle of Excedrin. Bring in the new year.