Saturday, December 26, 2009

marcmas




from an early year, a small segment



Tomorrow is Marc’s birthday.  Marc comes from a large family and even his core family is large to me.  When I met him I could count all my blood relatives on my fingers, four generations worth.  His mother was one of six and she had seven kids by three different husbands. 


For the last six years or so all the different parts of it (in more or less completion) have used Marc’s birthday as the excuse to converge on Houston to celebrate everything...Hanukah, Christmas and not least, Marc’s birthday.  Sort of a Hanukaristmamarcmas.  It’s always been a three event gathering...pool tournament for the adults at a local pub, bowling party for everyone and then a party hearty at one or another of the brother’s homes.


Last year and this year, what with the economy and a couple of divorces in the family and (this year) the visit of one of the fathers (Marc’s, who has disowned us a story for another time), we are limiting it to the bowling party.  That’s fine by me.  Much as I love my adopted family, they have a lot of drama that seems to tag along with them, a lot of issues that should have long ago been shelved.


This is the one time of year for the core family, for the next generations to get together so as to know each other.  The family is scattered in Colorado and across Texas so the siblings and their children and grandchildren (as I said, in varying degrees of completion), gather.  We want the cousins to know each other. 


We bowl, we eat hamburgers and corn dogs and drink soda, we pass out gifts.  We will gossip about all the drama attendant on these affairs.  We are a presence.  


And if all goes well, Marc and I will be going to see Avatar on the way home.


7 comments:

  1. It is nice when you can let go of all the drama and just enjoy! I love the idea of a bowling party :)

    My son's birthday is the day after Christmas and we always put away all the Christmas decorations [tree included] on Christmas night so he could enjoy his birthday as JUST his birthday. As he is now 19 he has graciously asked that they be left up and not put away until the new year [whew! :)]

    I can't bowl anymore - but we sure do have a good time playing it on our new Wii. It is awesome.

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  2. Happy Birthday to Marc! Hope you enjoyed the bowling party w/o the drama and a nice evening at the movies.

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  3. Hanakaristmamarcmas! Ok, that made me laugh. :-)

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  4. "Hanukaristmamarcmas!!"

    Now THAT is brilliant.

    I hate family drama and have had my fill of it. Now, I just really work toward harmony, tongue-biting, and forgiveness. It's easier in the long run.

    Life is short.

    So, how was that movie?

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  5. Bowling, what fun! I love the idea of a huge family get together..... as long as there is a time frame and a division of labor!

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  6. Oooh..let us know how you liked Avatar. :)

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