For the first time in nearly 7 years, Rogue Husband and I had Christmas together. But, in the wake of the wedding, we didn’t feel the… how to put this delicately…
We wanted to get the Hell away from my family.
We’ve seen enough of them already, thank you very much, and having my dear Grandfather (whom I love) ask once again whether or not I have a “bun in the oven” yet was not on my Christmas to-do list.
Yes, we could have gone south to Rogue Groom’s awesome family (such a lovely, relaxing place to be – best in-laws ever), but long story short, I wanted to see my Mother, and she won’t travel with her ancient terrier, so Mohammad had to come to the mountain.
I drove up to spend a few days with Rogue Mom and Rogue Terrier (and Rogue Chihuahua), then Rogue Groom and I drove north for our well-deserved vacation.
We rented a little house in Sonoma with a friend and her new-ish boyfriend, and planned an elaborate Christmas dinner.
Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? Especially after the strains of the wedding and all that familial drama/interaction/stress/stuff? I felt really good about being a little selfish, for once. Well, as a wise man once said, “If I didn’t have most of my friends, I wouldn’t have most of my problems.”
Things with the friend got a bit strained in close quarters, and the weekend turned out to be almost as tense as a bad family get-together. We had a political debate (Tea partiers are all on wellfare,” “Um, I haven’t kept up with the tea party since Boston, but that doesn’t sound right”), a discussion on gun ownership (“anyone who owns a shotgun is an ass-hole” “Um… we own a shotgun”) and a disagreement on how to cook venison. On the bright side, we also had a lovely walk through downtown Sonoma and an unforgettable quiche at the Girl and Fig. But it wasn’t quite the intellectually stimulating, enjoyable weekend I had hoped for.
Despite our plan’s flaws, I do think that enjoying the first Christmas together as a couple is a good idea. Just try to stick to safe conversation topics, like the weather.
Oh boy…at least it’s over! John and I had a little liberal meets TX panic, but a highlight of the trip was when his mom and I agreed that no one’s going to be convinced that they were wrong all along, so politics is better left un-discussed with people you love. Here, here!
I don’t know – the people I love best are the ones with whom I can talk politics (and religion, and feminism, and well, any other ism) and *still* be friends. It comes down to a fundamental respect for other people, their opinions, their perspectives, and their formative experiences. I abhor zealots though, of any variety.