It's a real cliffhanger

Husband and I went out last night and left the kids with Mom, Dad, and The Sister.  We had dinner and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, which is the first part of a two-part movie made from a single book.  I've read the book a few times and very much looked forward to seeing the film adaptation.  

So we got home, and Dad asked me how I liked it.  I said it was really good and I enjoyed it.  He looked a little perturbed and said, "It's a real cliffhanger, though!"

Um.

Yeah, Dad.  It's half a book. 

Picture it - Christmas dinner.  Dad is drinking Mountain Dew from a champaign glass.

Klassy.

I saved the coffee pot from being ravaged by Mom and The Sister.

Mom: I turned the coffee pot off.

Me: O....kay. (It auto-turned off an hour ago, so this confused me.)

Mom: WELL, there wasn't a lot of coffee left. (This was whispered as if having a little leftover coffee was somehow shameful.)

Me: Okay.

A few minutes later.....

Mom: The Sister, we'll have to make more coffee if you want any....

The Sister: growl snarl hiss whine

Mom: How do we do this.

Insert a few minutes of clanks and clacks with snipey whispering.

Dad: They might need some help....

Me: Am I going to have to go make coffee?

Dad: No, no, just tell them what to do.

I give him a look.

Dad: Or maybe show them how this once.

I went and made the coffee, and then on the way back to my seat mentioned to Dad that I'd used the coffee pot for the first time this morning.

Merry Trashmas

They gave Husband a gift wrapped in a trashbag. When he ripped it open, Mom cried, "Oh no! That was a good trash bag..."

Not even a bow.

Wearing thin..

The sister is rocking the same baggy sweatshirt and jeans for the second day in a row. The same people at the Christmas Eve party yesterday will enjoy the lipstick on a pig look at Christmas dinner today. Husband thinks she arrived in these clothes Thursday night as well. Lovely.

....... Christmas Eve

Mom is pacing around the house tapping a present.  Not one for her, oh no.  One that is from her that she wrapped and now doesn't remember what it is.

After 10 minutes she's decided that since we have tape, she'll peek and then rewrap.

Talking Back

To: Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back

From: The Sister

Shut UP Lando! You're lucky we don't throw you in the brig!

Me: WTF??

At 10 o'clock at night they were heating pimento cheese sandwiches, packed and brought from their home, in my toaster oven.

Almost...

It's 8pm and they're an hour away.... bad traffic.  

Incoming!

I emailed Dad last night with a weather report and a reminder that we have grocery stores here.  He said they were ready to get up, pack the car, and leave at 9am.

They called at 11am.

Mom: Hi, Dad says we'll be there around 7:30 tonight.

Me: looks at clock

      So you just left?

Mom: ......... yeeeesssss.

Me: Ha, nice try.  Okay, then we'll see you tonight.

Dad: (in background) Tell her we missed our wakeup call from the three year old!

Mom: We missed our wakeup call from the three year old!

Me: I wanted to wait until I was sure you were on the road so I didn't delay you.

Mom: Weeeeellllllll.... we've been up for three hours already....

Me: Give your brother the water cup!  Okay guys, I gotta go. Have a nice trip!

Stocking up

The Parents and The Sister are halfway here from the hometown for their Christmas visit, overnighting at Dad's place (see Transportation for more info on their living arrangements).  Dad called from the store tonight to ask about what Husband might like for Christmas; Mom was an hour away having apparently driven separately.

They called again later from another favorite shopping haunt - Mom asking me for help on what The Sister could get me for Christmas.  The Sister is 27 years old and fully capable of asking her own gift idea questions, so what we're really asking here is what Mom can pick out to be from The Sister.  I put Mom on the phone with Husband (sorry dear) and left the room to get a drink.

Also, Dad mentioned that they will be stopping by the grocery store in the morning before leaving if we need anything - this while calling from elsewhere in the same building.  They are coming from NINE HOURS AWAY.  What the everloving hell could 1) we POSSIBLY need from them that we couldn't ask for tonight, not that we would, or 2) THEY need so desperately tomorrow, in the CAR, for NINE HOURS, that THEY couldn't get tonight.  Also, we have grocery stores.  In fact I can walk to one from my house.  It's not like we live in a vast wasteland without a place to go buy food.

Ordinarily I wouldn't give a crap what they do, but going to the store in the morning will set them back an hour that they could have used getting here at a decent hour and beating the weather we're expecting tomorrow evening.  But they won't, because what if they need a 10 pound bag of oranges?  And there's an orange shortage?  My god, we'll all get scurvy and die clawing at the doors of the grocery store.  

Good news, everyone!

They're coming to visit for a few days sometime around Christmas.  I'm not sure exactly when yet.  

They also haven't specified whether or not The Sister is coming, but I'm sure she is!  Lucky me!