Families and Holidays

I forgot to mention…I got a really cute email from Boyfriend’s Mom yesterday regarding dinner the other night. It was actually a really sweet note about how much they like me being in The Boy’s life.

Then at the end there was just a (possibly) throw away line: “We’d love if you and Munchkin made it to Thanksgiving with us this year.”

Now, holidays are a big deal in his family. His great-grandmother is still alive, so her entire family tree makes a point of gathering as often as possible, which is a LOT of people. I kinda wish they wore nametags to make it easier…lol [Did I mention that the first time I met my father’s family they all wore name tags for me? How cute is that?] And being invited to the big family gathering is no small deal…The Boy was actually kind of hesitant to bring me around because it can be overwhelming, but he finally did for Great Grammy’s birthday last summer. And none of them bite…lol

And I would love to go. Obviously, The Boy is pretty high on my list of people I like to be around;-) and so is his sister and her wife. At this point I know a lot of the other family, too and like seeing them.

So what is the problem, you ask? And please don’t yell at me for this, because I am fragile…lol…but I have too many families now. The irony, of course, being that much of my life has been spent wishing I had more of one, and suddenly I have an embarrassment of riches.

For the last year or two, most Holidays I have spent with Smoking Hot Roommate, Big Sis and Papa Bear and their extended family. They really make me feel like part of the family (when I am home sometime I will tell you what they gave me for my birthday, but I am gonna bawl like an infant, so I can’t do it here), and this is really the first time I have ever looked forward to Holidays just because of the way it makes me feel to be included.

But there is also the Chicago family (families, actually). I would love to see my father’s family more, and these are always great times to do that. There are also some members of my mother’s family that I would like to see as well (others that I would like to see only so I can hit them over the head with a brick). And finally, there is Munchkin’s father’s family, which I feel obligated to get her out to see as often as possible, too. Truthfully, I could do without many of them (like the ones that sued me…) but she should see them.

And then now there is The Boy’s family, too. So while Thanksgiving at The Boy’s sounds like a lot of fun, it would mean missing Thanksgiving with SHR, PB and BS. And either would mean not getting back to Chicago, as well.

Believe me, having too many families is WAY better than the alternative. And I don’t want to sound like I am complaining, because I really am not. I guess I am just lamenting that sometimes there isn’t enough time to see all the people you love, and you have to sacrifice the time with some of them in exchange for others. And that leaves you at risk of missing out on the memories that REALLY make families.
Which I guess is my problem…I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do. Most people get a lifetime to be with their families…I kind of stumbled onto mine when I was in my 20’s. So I have 20 years worth of memories and occasions to catch up on, and there just aren’t enough Holidays.