Sitting at the kids' table

Society6
You think you've grown up.  You have a car payment.  You have a horse payment.  You live on your own, despite your parents living less than half an hour away.  Your 10 year high school reunion has come and gone.  But there's nothing like a noogie and a bear hug from a man you've called your uncle for twenty years to realize that you will always be seven years old to your parents and your parents' friends (aka the Other Old Folks).

That and a full house at the dining table, directing you back to the kids' table on Christmas Eve.  Seat's taken, there's no room at the inn, etc etc.  And except for the age of the "kids," everything at the kids' table is basically the same.  We fetch scraps from the main dining table and sneak pieces of the dessert long before it's served.  The topic of discussion centers around making fun of the parents with a light sprinkling of sports and movies.  My hair at holiday dinner parties, which has over the years varied from braid crowns to pony tails, has now grown up into a very mature two-bun updo circa late 1980s.  Siri, instead of donning her Little Mermaid tights as she did for Thanksgiving this year, wears her flannel pajama onesie that she barely takes off for the duration of her visit.  Which is exactly five seconds more mature than the ratty college hoodie that I don for the occasion (burnt orange goes with everything).

Okay so maybe the Other Old Folks have a legitimate reason for thinking that you haven't grown up.  That our family is frozen in a time capsule that is only cracked open when they see us.  And perhaps it is a little magical that way.  Our family somehow always manages to get together for the holidays - both Christmas and Thanksgiving - no matter how far apart we are.  We always assume the same roles as we have back then and always groan in exasperation when my mom tries to convince us all that we need to wade through traffic to look at Christmas lights.

It's the first Monday of the new year and the first day back at work and I'd like to think that the holiday spirit is finally making its way out of my system.  I'll keep the twinkling lights up a little bit longer this year and bottle up some of the magic for 2015.  Don't worry, I'll share and come June, we'll all be guzzling from that bottle.


Comments

  1. Sounds great, it's always nice to get together with family, my parents went to Yorkshire to visit Grannie this Christmas and I worked pretty much on and off but had 3 days off over New Year. Ready for 2015 now!

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  2. I love the kids table still, the one with all the grown ups really isn't that fun at all. Your sounds great, especially the dress code. :)

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  3. Great post :) I want to wish you all the bests in New year <3

    Follow me, i follow back :)
    http://kasjaa.blogspot.com/

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  4. Great post :) I want to wish you all the bests in New year <3

    Follow me, i follow back :)
    http://kasjaa.blogspot.com/

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  5. Oh it does sound magical and the kids' table always had more fun! Cal has Christmas lights up in his room and has he was going to bed last night he asked, "Can I keep them?"
    Duh.
    I call it college-prep.

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  6. I hope when the kids are older, our get-togethers will be like this:)

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  7. Princess Leia Organa style buns??? I think the hoodie might be a fee seconds more mature than the onesie. But what's a few seconds one way or the other? The important thing is you were both comfortable...and the family was together. That's a great holiday.
    I'm looking forward to June!

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  8. Your family sounds lovely! Really! And now I want Little Mermaid tights!

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  9. sounds like a lovely family gathering. we haven't had this kind of gathering in such a long time. i miss it dearly and hopefully someday when I end up being the "other old folk" we'll have big family gatherings like this :)

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  10. Love this and your two bun hair style! Haha The kids table is always much more fun anyways. :)

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  11. sounds good. and yes, any pics of the two bun hair-do?

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  12. Lovely post. Not only do my uncles and aunts see me as a kid, sometimes I see myself that way. I'd gladly join you at the kids' table!

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  13. In all my uncles and aunties eyes I'm still that
    young kiddo even I have bills, a job and I can
    cook for myself! Sigh. Anyway, the kids table
    is not so bad :P Xx

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  14. I love that your family gets together for the holidays. Love, love, love! We managed to get my family together for my grandma's 80th birthday (3 years ago) . . . which means, yes, we were relegated to the "kid's table." Good times, that. :)

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  15. i love this! i miss feeling like a kid sometimes. now i am "an elder" as most of my elders have passed on. but on those moments when someone does still see me as a kid it is a bit magical. though when i was a teenager (still a kid in actuality) i hated that!

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