"Gee, it’s great to be back home again…"

This year, I tried to get my brother a john denver tribute CD [shut up] with covers by the likes of low and bonnie prince billy [see?]. But I was late in ordering and so did what I thought only parents did when they were being cheap or forgetful and cut out a picture of the item you had circled in the catalog [or hinted at incessantly like ralphie] and put that in small box with wrapping paper.

“look, it’s that chemistry set / telescope / video game I wanted!”

Except it’s not. And now, as then, it sucks to do or have happen to you. Sorry, Matt. So the meta-gift happened, but he took it well. Because he knows it’ll be good, when it’s not just a song list and a photo of the record.

It’s interesting though, because that kind of neatly encapsulates both anticipation and disappointment, two things one would do well to become acquainted with early in life. Not to wallow in, or anything all black and dreary like that, but to know it when it comes.

This watered-down episode could only mean it’s the holidays again, and they are packed with lots, as they seem to be for most people in my life.

I had my annual 40-minute day of debriefing with Jen, during which we both confirm and deny all the things we expected to happen, check stress levels, parent moods, and in general remind each other that we did, in fact, get through one of these 365 days ago.

She, like me, sounded both tired and wary and happy that things are going at least slightly better than anticipated. They often do.