Christmas Parties

The past few nights included a dinner party for a service club in which I belong, a get together for AW's law firm, and on Saturday we were slated to go to a 'kid's included' house party put on by friends.

The service club party was a blast.  There was an open bar, a live band and dancing.  AW and I got dressed up and danced and laughed.  AW drove home.

The law firm party included a gift exchange.  AW brought a bottle of single malt scotch, knowing that I appreciated such a thing, so if I drew a gift I didn't like, I could steal the scotch away from someone else.  Little did she know that her fellow attorneys would all find such a gift quite desirable.  It was stolen multiple times, once by me, but I ended up with a Christmas ornament.

The house party was cancelled at the last minute, due to a child's illness.  I should have left well enough alone, but instead we called a few of the friends who suddenly had a free Saturday and invited them to our house for impromptu dinner and drinks.

Seemed like a great idea at first, but then I realized just how exhausted I felt.  That morning I had joined the infamous "Brother Mathew" on a long road bicycle ride in the cold, foggy weather, and by the afternoon I had a scratchy throat.

By the time the guests arrived, with their small children in tow, I was feeling like lying down.  The kids banded together and proceeded to run up and down the stairs, climbing on the banister and pulling out every toy in the house.  I'm sure their parents were just glad they weren't at their own homes, at least that is how I would have felt.

None of the other parents seemed too concerned, but I was bugged, so I tried to engage them in a common activity, a game, a movie, a puzzle, but none of the things that interest my kids seemed to interest any of the others.  We don't have Wii or video games of any sort, and we don't let our kids watch anything edgy on the screen, so I think for some kids we are just way too boring.

Later in the evening, Teddy had a total meltdown and I was forced to take him upstairs.  I knew he was exhausted, and thought he would fall asleep.  I got myself committed to making him lie down, in the hopes that five or ten minutes would pass and his kicking and screaming would give way to sleep.  Once I was headed down that road I was in it for the long haul, which ended up to be 45 minutes.

By the time Teddy was out for the night, our guests had all gone home, bidding me goodbye through AW.  The kitchen, the toy room and everywhere in between was in ruins.

AW and I exchanged a look.  What were we thinking?