Christmas

A few days ago was the day of the year I look forward to more than all the other days. Christmas Day. Sure I love my birthday and there are some other good, random days spread out, but year after year it is Christmas that I long for the most.

I had a wonderful Christmas. Despite being as sick as a dog I really did have a great Christmas. I spent a ton of time with family, a ton of time with Ashley, and even tempted fate by bringing the two together.

Ashley has met a large part of my family already. Despite only dating for close to four months she's the person I'm most comfortable with, so naturally she's the one I want to be around my family with. She's a trooper. Christmas Eve we were true travelers. Starting in Mt. Washington, heading to her family's in Beaver, and finishing at my great aunt and uncle's in Kennedy. We had minor skirmishes along the way, but we stood the test of time and Ashley even stood the test of the Spine women. (I left her in a room full of relatives she had never met before and she held her own which is admirable.)

I got more than I could ever ask for this Christmas. Presents have lost their allure really. Don't get me wrong, I love unwrapping a new pair of shoes, but it isn't the same as when I was a kid. I guess that is obvious though, right? Obviously mom wrapping the presents that she bought off a list I emailed to her isn't nearly as cool as Santa and his elves making them from a list I mailed to him.

Needless to say that Christmas has changed. Not necessarily for the worse, just for the different.

Christmas Day at Pap's has changed. Present opening has changed. The dinner is amazing, but even that has changed. The food is the same and the table is the same, but the one thing that's missing is faces. Each and every year at least one piece of the puzzle is missing.

That's the one part of growing up that I never wanted. Family members moving on and moving away. Maybe it's selfish of me to wish they were there, or maybe that's just the younger cousin in me looking for the kids I admired. Either way, I miss it. I miss it like hell.

I guess the fact of the matter is that as we grow up our families change. The faces change, the ages of those faces change, new members are brought in, and other members are lost. And maybe I'm wrong in thinking a piece or two were missing this year, maybe no pieces were missing, rather a new puzzle was built with the pieces we had.

I miss Ashley. I wish she hadn't been forced to leave for Florida so soon.

NP: Sweet Nothing- Calvin Harris ft. Florence