Less holiday Drama is still DRAMA!

I swore that NO MATTER WHAT that there would be no drama (on my part) about ANYTHING this Christmas.
I apparently forgot that I had kids!!!!

OK, so things are all stirred up anyway because Jeffrey is coming home from Iraq on Christmas Eve! We are so excited and thrilled.
AND, that we were able to get Emily down here for a last minute visit. She has been on her semi-best behavior......I know she's really trying.

So the first thing that happens is I find out on the 23rd that Chris and Sarah made different plans for Christmas Day and no one told us. The last thing that we heard was that they were hosting the dinner. We've talked to Christopher daily and he never said anything to us. When I called to tell Sarah about Jeff's flight she asked if they could come over on Christmas Eve to do presents because they had other plans on Christmas day that didn't involve us. I was VERY VERY hurt that no one told us. All this time I thought that with Jeff coming home Christmas Eve and getting Emily down here that for the first time is several years all 5 of our kids would be sitting down together with us for a holiday meal. I don't care that they made seperate plans.....they are a family now....but it REALLY hurt me when Christopher said "Well, I don't know why you even expected to see us on Christmas Day because we never said we'd see you!"
I guess I was wrong in thinking that we were still part of his extended family.

So I asked Sarah if she would mind having Christmas Dinner with us on Christmas Eve so that we could all be together. OK....that worked. Then Tory was pissed about it. She said that she was mad because everything has changed and she wanted it to be like it always was when she was growing up.....open presents in the morning....NOT the night before and then have dinner that day NOT the night before. So I tried to smooth her feathers and suggest that we save back the ham (cuz I know she's the one that LOVES to have the ham) for us for Christmas day and we won't open OUR presents....only ones to/from Christopher/Sarah. Ok...that worked.

Jim and I got Sarapher a kitchen table set for Christmas. Jim wanted to get them more so he got Chris a tackle box and Richard bought him some fake bait and hooks. Richard got Sarah a statue of a woman holding a baby.....it was plain white in the Lladro type fashion. Tory got them some platters to match Sarah's dish pattern........old come to find out TODAY that Sarah doesn't have the ones that she's told me several times that she has....she has a totally different pattern. GRRRRRR!!!!!
Tory and I wanted to make sure that they had a couple of other things so we raided the candy that Diana sent and got some lotions etc. Tory worked to make sure that the stockings looked really nice.

So, we had a nice visit blah blah blah.

They leave. Bridgett and Scotty leave. Chara and Baily leave. Jeff, by this time is pretty lit and wants to go out and find some fun. Tory was going with him to be his designated driver....although my radar felt that she had the same feelings for him that she always did....and I may be way off base....she just seemed to always be right at his side all evening long. Which, I really don't care about. I love them both. She is just as much my daughter as Emily and they are both adults. But they did not grow up as siblings so if they want to 'dance' then that's THEIR business and I really have no feelings about it at all......except to hope that it doesn't cause any hurt feelings or strife/drama in the family.

Anyway, so they are leaving and said that they may not be home until tomorrow afternoon and I said that we had the presents to open in the morning and that the ham needs to be cooked (she had said that SHE will do it). She said....oh......it's ok.....we can eat later and open the presents in the evening. I was NOT a happy camper!!!!!!!!!!! After having to smooth her feathers because SHE wanted it to be TRADITIONAL......GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! I just closed my mouth and walked away and started cleaning the kitchen.
Richard came in and started helping me when they left and he was pretty upset that Tory didn't seem to care about all the extra things that were done to make HER happy and accomodate HER wants! GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
Well, I told him it was ok......that I think she just didn't realize that she was hurting his/my feelings. (He was really upset and hurt).
And then he drops the NEXT bombshell that Tory and Richard didn't get even a card from Sarapher. Everyone else got something but the two of them. I don't even know what to think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both kids were really hurt.

So much for no drama.
Hopefully this is the end of it.