Christmas on the Farm

There is always confusion when it comes to large groups getting together. The Herrman’s side coordinating Christmas this year was no exception. Mom and Dad headed over that way on Thursday when Katie got done with school and brought both girls with them. We were expecting some pretty crazy whether to come into the area come Friday midafternoon so Dad thought it was best to get on the road if possible. I was excited because I was going to have a whole half a day without the girls… There is so much I could get done right??? Hell no… this momma slept the day away and it was amazing. AJ had to work till 4ish and Anna had to teach as well so I headed to their house and the three of us started over to Sparta together. I sure was glad that AJ was behind the wheel because about an hour into the trip the weather certainly changed and the roads were incredibly slick with visibility at a minimum. I tried my best not to distract him but my headphones could not stifle my awe at all the cars in the ditch (which I am sure did not help except to put him even more on edge). But I have to say that he did an awesome job and we got there without a scratch. It took us almost six hours but we made it- whew! Saturday was the original day I guess that was agreed on by the family to get together and celebrate the holiday. And then somewhere between Thanksgiving and now wires got crossed, dates got confused and chaos ensued. After getting ahold of all my cousins and lighting I am sure no less than a few arguments and rapid sequence phone calls… we got it all figured out. Granted some of my cousins couldn’t make it but I will get to see them soon I am sure.

As I am sure I have mentioned in the past… I am full on addicted to the Amish discount store that is only a few miles from my grandma Herrman’s house. It is run by a local Amish family and they sell items that are either close to expiration, expired or just dented and ding-ed. In other words--- cheap and awesome!!! So I make it a point every time that I go and visit my grandma to pop in and see what goodies they have. I love to peruse down the various isles and take in all the oddities. I get such a rush in finding a good deal… similar I am sure to a good shoe sale for some people) and after I am all packed up and pay the bill (usually about 40 bucks lol) I feel such a dense of accomplishment and caseation. It’s almost as good as sex my friends. And on par with rummaging- yee haw!!! We spent the afternoon cleaning, organizing and wrapping gifts. The whole time visiting, laughing (especially when Kristina fell off the bed lol) and just being a family. It should never be a chore to be around the people you love… crazy sometimes and full of drama??? You betcha… but that’s the way it is and I would rather that than nothing at all. I am making peace with the fact that I must accept the things that I cannot change (mainly people – damn you free will hahaha) and adapt to my surroundings... because the only person responsible for my happiness is myself. Whew! Enough of that (you would think that I have been reading some self-help books but I assure you I have done absolutely no reading whatsoever for a very long time).

 When I was a little kid we always celebrated the big holidays in my grandparent’s basement (which is also coincidentally where my cousins Krissy, Theresa, AJ and I would choreograph or dances to Madonna… but that is neither here nor there and fully unrelated to this Christmas Story). So as this could potentially be grandma’s last Christmas in the house by the farm (realistically it probably is and in reality she is nowhere near accepting it) we decided to go BIG and take a step back into time and tradition as a family. It was AWESOME. We all sat together in the same room, had great conversations and shared a great meal. After our bellies were full (some overstuffed from delicious treats) we sat as a group again and exchanged gifts. We let the little ones go first and the all the grandkids/great nices and nephews had so much fun. It was like Christmas lol!!! When they were all done ripping and snorting it was time for the (semi-annual) adult gift exchange. SO here is how it works in our family: IF you are interested (and you don’t have to participate) you bring a gift to the exchange wrapped with no name tags or description.We put them all in a giant pile and then take turns picking playing cards from a stack. We go in order of smallest to largest and it is in this order that we decide who gets to pick. Now this is where the fun comes in. You can either pick from the pile or you can steal one from anyone else that has gone before you. So its fun because it puts you on edge that you could potentially lose what you have already gotten. And if you gift gets stolen then you can go back to the pile or steal from someone else. Its so much fun. I am not exactly sure when we started the tradition (I think when Mary and Carlos were here at Christmas time when Dad was so sick). But no matter when it started, I am just glad that we are able to keep 'er going. There are laughs and smiles the whole time... which is important.