surviving the post-christmas blues

Well, folks. You did it. Hooray! Go, you. You survived the worst, most terrible, horrible, depressing day of the year: December 26. 

Really, I'm quite proud of everyone's persistence to make it through the day. You go from running off of the highest high of Christmastime to crashing hard into the post-Christmas blues. Sure, you have new toys and gadgets to play with...but, but, but how is Christmas already over?! Why are all the decorations still up just to taunt and remind us that next Christmas is 364 days away?! (362 days now...) And who the h-e-you know what wants to un-decorate? I wonder how much I could pay somebody to take down our tree...

My Most Depressing Day Of The Year was spent driving thirteen hours. You see, road tripping with a dog is much like road tripping with a child. Read: lots of pee needing to be peed. Then you add in road tripping with Freddie who needs to stand up and stretch his legs just about as often as someone needs to take a breath so that counts as three of four more extra kids. If my math is correct then road tripping with a dog AND Freddie is like road tripping with 1/5 of the Duggars. Although the Duggars have a giant RV and many drivers to switch between so maybe they're on to something. 

So. Yes. Our ten and a half hour drive took around thirteen hours. Thirteen hours of trying not to cry that Christmastime is over. Thirteen hours of asking Freddie questions like, What are your goals for the new year?! Thirteen hours of Freddie wanting me to turn on music and/or movies so that I wold stop asking questions like, What are your goals for the new year?! Thirteen hours of f-u-n. Fun = us trying to keep our eyes open which is, in fact, a lot harder than it sounds when you're driving through the swamp shiz of Louisiana. 

But Christmas? December 25? It really was the best day of the year!

The best.

The older I get the more sentimental and sappy I get. Meaning when presents were being opened, instead of ripping into them in record time I stopped for a quick two or three seconds to look around my family. I saw the excitement of my sister trying to decide which gift is her turntable because that's the gift she has to open next. Has to! I see my brother trying to stack his new Blu-rays in alphabetical order because order is necessary in the Christmastime chaos. I see my dad trying to post pictures to Facebook because #instantuploadsarenecessary. I see my mom sitting with her jaw on the floor because she still can't believe she got an Apple watch. I see my grandfather falling asleep because apparently opening gifts is boring once you're over the age of 80. I see Freddiehusband still playing with something from his stocking because when one runs on Weiss time, one is always a little behind. 

In those two or three seconds I almost decide to stop opening gifts all together because this, this richness of being surrounded by family, this is all I really need. I never feel so full and just downright complete until I sit in the middle of a perfectly chaotic, and yet oddly peaceful family time. 

Don't worry, I snapped out of it and did somehow manage to finish opening the rest of the presents. Which were all fabulous and wonderful and I can't wait to be so basic and wear my new lace-up flats. ! !! !!!

...but Imma be wearing them all while trying to never let go of that feeling of complete content that only family fun time can bring. 

Hope your Christmases were just as sap dap happy and merry!