Let me start by saying that I love my mom dearly. She's a great lady, and an even better mother. She thinks about her kids before she thinks of herself...unless it is Christmas morning. When Christmas morning rolls around, she makes everyone in the whole family put on these incredibly lame Christmas tee shirts that started losing their charm somewhere around 5th grade. It's not just the immediate family, either. This is a massive family portrait with cousins, uncles, aunts, and whoever is within thirty feet of the front door who can fit into one of these shirts. My sister and I hate it.
I'm 19 years old now, and my sister is 17. We're both in college and out of the house, so we had to travel all the way across the state in order to attend Christmas at my parents house. We both attend the same college, so I drove the both of us there. On the way, my sister just looks at me and says, "I'm not doing the Christmas picture thing again this year. Mom said she's putting them on Facebook. I'll die."
What? Mom knows how to use Facebook now? I vaguely remember a late night when I accepted a friend request from her, laughing at how silly the thought of her on Facebook was. The whole thing seemed much less funny now. We rode along in silence for a long while before I looked at her and replied, "Yeah. That is absurd. There is no way I'm going to let her ruin my life with those photos of hers. This is the year we make a stand." We both steeled our nerves and considered the implications of our decision.
The whole clan was already there to greet us when we showed up, and we got handed around for hugs and handshakes. I had a great time visiting with everyone and catching up on everyone's lives during dinner. I knew that mom wouldn't bring up the Christmas t-shirts issue until later, or even the next morning. I let my guard down and I spent some good quality time with the people who love me most. It was really nice and I admit that I got caught up in the Christmas spirit.
I should have never let myself get comfortable. I had gotten caught up in enjoying the Holiday and forgot that I should be wary of the monster waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. I never thought twice about hugging my mom and telling her it was nice to be home. She took that moment of vulnerability to put one of those Christmas shirts right in my unsuspecting hand. It was green. It had bunnies on it. She gave me a kiss and went to bed.
My sister was in her room, sitting there with an expression on her face that I knew was very similar to mine. She held up her shirt and I held up mine in response and we both sighed. I spoke up, defeated, "You know it will kill mom if we refuse to do the picture. We have to do it. We have no choice, or we're terrible human beings." I only got a nod from her, but at least she agreed. I perked up a bit, "Maybe we can turn it around in our favor, or something. Make a joke of it on Facebook?" The only response I got that time was her door closed in my face. Good job mother...you've beaten us once again.
I'm 19 years old now, and my sister is 17. We're both in college and out of the house, so we had to travel all the way across the state in order to attend Christmas at my parents house. We both attend the same college, so I drove the both of us there. On the way, my sister just looks at me and says, "I'm not doing the Christmas picture thing again this year. Mom said she's putting them on Facebook. I'll die."
What? Mom knows how to use Facebook now? I vaguely remember a late night when I accepted a friend request from her, laughing at how silly the thought of her on Facebook was. The whole thing seemed much less funny now. We rode along in silence for a long while before I looked at her and replied, "Yeah. That is absurd. There is no way I'm going to let her ruin my life with those photos of hers. This is the year we make a stand." We both steeled our nerves and considered the implications of our decision.
The whole clan was already there to greet us when we showed up, and we got handed around for hugs and handshakes. I had a great time visiting with everyone and catching up on everyone's lives during dinner. I knew that mom wouldn't bring up the Christmas t-shirts issue until later, or even the next morning. I let my guard down and I spent some good quality time with the people who love me most. It was really nice and I admit that I got caught up in the Christmas spirit.
I should have never let myself get comfortable. I had gotten caught up in enjoying the Holiday and forgot that I should be wary of the monster waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. I never thought twice about hugging my mom and telling her it was nice to be home. She took that moment of vulnerability to put one of those Christmas shirts right in my unsuspecting hand. It was green. It had bunnies on it. She gave me a kiss and went to bed.
My sister was in her room, sitting there with an expression on her face that I knew was very similar to mine. She held up her shirt and I held up mine in response and we both sighed. I spoke up, defeated, "You know it will kill mom if we refuse to do the picture. We have to do it. We have no choice, or we're terrible human beings." I only got a nod from her, but at least she agreed. I perked up a bit, "Maybe we can turn it around in our favor, or something. Make a joke of it on Facebook?" The only response I got that time was her door closed in my face. Good job mother...you've beaten us once again.
About the Author:
To fill your brain about a Christmas family t-shirts go to hilarious Christmas apparel to see how it's done right.
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