The season to be overwhelmed, over budget and over scheduled. I’m opting out of a lot of things, streamlining the holiday chaos. But tonight we could not escape.
There are TWO parties tonight. One birthday, one holiday. For kids. The kids explain the parties:
“Mine is a sleep under but you don’t have to wear pajamas. You can wear regular clothes. But maybe bring a blanket. I wanna bring a small blanket, not a big blanket. No, not that one, a different one.”
”Mine isn’t sleep under, but I need a separate bag for my clothes just in case we decide to change it to a pj party. No, my backpack is full, I neeed another bag. No not that one, a different one.”
“Becky may not like the book, but that’s ok because maybe her sisters will like it. I don’t like it but thank you for getting it for her. I rewrapped it for you”
“It’s casual, it’s not like a grown up holiday party, I don’t have to dress up, it’s CAAAAASUUUUUAAAL Mom”
”There will be kindergartners there, and I don’t know any of them!”
”There’s probably some sort of food there, I’m hungry”
“It’s low key, but for the gift exchange I absolutely have to have a pickle keychain.”
“Has the pickle key chain arrived yet?”
“Has the pickle key chain arrived yet?”
“Has the pickle key chain arrived yet?”
“Has the pickle key chain arrived yet?”
One party is 5:30pm to 9pm, the other is 6pm to 10pm. My bedtime is 8. As Paulie, ever the modern parenting hero, rounded them up in to the van, I reminisced about my own elementary school years, particularly 1979—
Me: “Mom, I never get invited to birthday parties or sticker parties and I have no friends”.
Mom, acrylic nails drying, drags on a menthol Benson & Hedges: “What do you need friends for?”