Pittsburgh Girlie

6

Christmas Cards

I love getting mail, especially the kind with gift checks in them. But I always feel so guilty when we receive Christmas cards because we don’t send them out. I do try to send thank you cards for gifts, I’m about 72% good at that. Every year we try to find a place to display them, every year it’s somewhere different as we’re just not sure where they fit in. Part of me wants to hide them so I don’t have to feel that wave of guilt every morning before leaving for work. This also plays into the whole “I don’t do Christmas decorations” thing.

Sending cards is just such a huge thing of keeping track who has sent you one, making sure you don’t miss someone, sending them early enough but not too early, and then there is the whole what to write. I feel that I should write something personal, but not something so cliched and kitschy. Everything I write ends up being the latter.

Then there is the cost. Even before this stupid economic breakdown we were living paycheck to paycheck. There’s not much extra in there for extra stuff. Yeah, I know I can buy cards for super cheap after the holidays. This would require me to remember, put them somewhere safe, pull them out well enough in advance, etc etc. The time of year when cards should be sent I’m way to busy with work and school.

So, you see my dilemma. I can’t keep track of who sent what to me and reciprocate an entire year later. I will say thank you. I will give you a call, we can chat and catch up. Hey, let’s go grab a coffee or a beer. If we’re not in the same city, catch me online, or when I’m traveling through/near/etc.

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1

Our Winter Tradition

Almost a year ago my car was parked on Neville St near the Central Catholic football field and a block-ish from my office. The Kid was with us. We got back to the car and I saw broken glass on the ground.

I thought, “Boy that sucks, someone’s car window was smashed out.” Then I looked up and saw I had no passenger car window and lots of glass inside the car. I am pretty sure I was careful not to curse, out loud at least. I may have actually just started crying.

We called the city police. Campus police wanted nothing to do with it, even though they are a block away from the scene and I’m an employee. Go figure. Thanks. The three of us sat in the car waiting for the city police shivering and then I had the brilliant idea to take The Kid back to my warm office and let him play on my computer. The Boy can stay and be cold, he’s tough. I am not so tough.

As we’re walking back up I apologize to The Kid because this is significantly cutting short his fun day with Dad. Me: “I’m sorry kiddo.” Kid: “For cursing? That’s okay my mom does that too.” Me: “Yeah, that.”

*sigh* Remember when I said I was pretty sure I hadn’t cursed. I’m still pretty sure I didn’t. I know he knows what the words are, but we’re still not trying to fling them around like we do when he’s not with us. He caught me a couple times actually, it’s funny and he laughs at me.

Oh yeah, and the cops? Yeah they never came. We ended up going to the station later that night and filing the report. They said they drove by but no one was there. Kind of hard to miss a dude with really long dark hair sitting in a car with one door open and another window smashed out. Whatever.

Cut to today.

The Boy had a dentist appointment. So, we went to lunch, yes I know that breaks my “I’m eating PB&J and donating my lunch savings to The Christmas Crazy.” I didn’t pay, so it doesn’t count. At least I’m not counting it.

He got back to the car and had the same reaction I had last year. He called me and I excused myself from the rest of my meeting, my part was done anyway. He called the police and I called the insurance as we drove over to Ryan’s Auto Glass.

I love these people. I really do. They are fantastic and helpful and genuinely nice. The woman at the desk remembered we had been in before. She called our insurance to get the claim information. They were going to have to order the window and it would take a day to get it in. The Boy made arrangements to bring the car by and I just sat there. I’m pretty useless when it comes to these things. I mostly just shut down. I was actually responding to people on twitter offering their sympathies.

The guy was vacuuming out the glass and prepping the plastic to put over the window and the woman said some magic words because they now had someone that could run out and get the window we needed and it would take about an hour. MAGIC!

As we walked out of the store The Boy says, “See you next year!”

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