Sunday, November 21, 2010

The pleasure of being an adult during the holidays


No, you perverts, this post isn't about that.

I was talking to one of the volunteers at work the other day and we both agreed that one of the things we enjoyed most about adulthood was getting to choose who we spent the holidays with.

Or rather, not spending holidays with people we didn't like.

Who as a kid didn't dread having arrive at your house for a holiday dinner (or worse, for several days) the irritating friends of your parents or relatives? Their whiny children? The old cranky relatives? The old bitches who made you wait for dessert just because they were full? The people who wouldn't let you eat until they finished a really, really long prayer? The people who told you that you were ungrateful if you were salivating over the pumpkin pie but didn't want to eat the mushy green beans?

Are you with me?

I am happy because as an adult (or someone who poses as one), I will have people I like at my Thanksgiving dinner. We will eat dessert whenever we damn well feel like it and there will be no nasty, mushy green beans. We will swear, we will laugh, and we will be grateful that we don't have to spend the day with people who annoy us or make us unhappy.

For that, I am most grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving.

18 comments:

LL Cool Joe said...

I'm an adult and I spend Christmas and Boxing day with people I'd rather not be with. I'd rather spend the days at home with my immediate family but instead of that we split each day with my parents and my mother-in-law and extended family.

As much as I don't like it, I feel a commitment to them all. If I didn't spend Christmas day with my parents they'd be completely on their own because my brother never bothers to see them. I wouldn't do that to them, although I hate it. Sometimes we have to do shit we don't want to.

Fortunately we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK!

Lynn said...

Yes - I think we can all relate to that. :) I'm looking forward to seeing all the fam on Thursday though - there will be 42 of us.

Your Thanksgiving sounds fun, too, and I hope it is a good one.

G. B. Miller said...

I do this quite often on the major holidays nowadays.

Usually T-giving and Xmas is spent at our house, where we have obnoxious family and friends visit for six or several hours. And usually I will make an appearance to say hi, and either head to the master suite to watch television or down to the basement den to work on my computer.

I enjoy being anti-social, because an anti-social me is a happier me during the rest of the week.

And a happier me makes everyone else around me less stressed.

Alpha Za said...

wow...I feel like as an Adult I have even more responsibility to spend time with people I rather not.

And I also feel that Married dudes have the same issues.

I salute your 'I'll chill with whoever I want' lifestyle!

Aliceson said...

The worst was at x-mas when we weren't allowed to open presents until we ate the disgusting traditional family meal that included such culinary disasters as shrimp casserole (to this day I can't eat seafood and not have a flashback) and sandwich loaf which was a layered sandwich (on white bread) with things like cheese wiz, grape jelly, deviled ham, green olive paste and cream cheese, all on one sandwich. ICK!

Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving with lots of yummy desserts!

Anonymous said...

But that's what the holidays are all about. Spending time with people you don't like and having them tell you what's your problem. It just isn't Christmas until my aunt gives me grief for being unmarried at my age.

Shionge said...

I know what you mean....Chinese New Year is a big thing here and imagine spending one full day with relatives you hardly meet and interact for ages :(

Anyhoo...have a great Thanksgiving!! L:D

Riot Kitty said...

Joey: Yeah, there's still plenty of shit that I do that I don't want to! That is kind of you to do that.
L: Have fun!
G: One more thing we have in common...I enjoy being anti-social and that makes me happier, which is better for everyone.
AZ: That's true in some cases (e.g. work.) As for the salute...Thanks!
Aliceson: Shrimp casserole?! Ugh. No wonder you turned into such a prolific cook of much better stuff.
WIGSF: LOL! And you are younger than me, why the hell does she care if you're married? I think my husband's family would have preferred it if he had stayed unmarried ;)
S: I love Chinese New Year. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Ileana said...

Amen! Thankfully, I don't have one of those pesky family members to worry about on Thanksgiving. Other times, yes, but not this Thursday. :)

Logical Libby said...

Never have kids. That Thanksgiving freedom? GONE!!! I mean, unless I want to Christmas guilt...

Riot Kitty said...

L: Good for you, chica!
LL: Hahaha! OK.

Full-On-Forward said...

wE ARE SLOWLY USING FAMILY. oUR mil dIED--(mY wIFE'S mOTHER) RECENTLY) AND WE ALWAYS DID THANKSGIVING AT HER HOUSE (27 years and missed 2 I think). IT'S AMAZING HOW SOMETIMES YOU GRIPE--AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU WOULD gIVE anything FOR ONE MORE BATCH OF DRESSING!!!

bUT nEW tRADITIONS WILL BE BORN FROM THE oLD--SO WE HAVE much TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!

OMG-- You finally got to see my caps lock affliction. What happens when you can't type and don't look at the monitor and hit the Darn caps lock key--LOL!!!!!

Darth Weasel said...

Aliceson ftw.

I both like and dislike the holiday gatherings. I like visiting the family, but sometimes I am done visiting and have two mroe hours to be there...other times I am hjust getting started and everyone leaves. About time for peeps to get on MY schedule

Claire said...

Aliceson FTW times infinity.

Happy thanksgiving, sweetie. I hope it's a great one :)

Cxx

Riot Kitty said...

John: I'm all for new traditions.
Darth and Claire: What is FTW?

Granny Annie said...

Believe it or not those things you pointed out as "bad" actually made me feel joy remembering how I loved the gatherings despite the traditional bickering,etc.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving:)

Riot Kitty said...

GA: Happy to help, albeit inadvertently ;)

Sandra said...

That does sound like fun!