Home Is Where The Chaos Is

I was reading a post over at Bonjour Madame about entertaining during the holidays and her husband's loud Louisiana family.  Stephanie is always a great read, so please go visit her blog.

It got me to thinking about the madness that is my family.  I love them, God knows I do, but boy are they loud and opinionated!  G comes from a quieter family, so I always worry my family will intimidate him.  Instead, they seem to bring out his smart ass, sarcastic side.  One of the things he loves about my family is how crazy they are! (bless his heart, right?)  He loves how we all get into card games.  And my grandmama cracks him up (even as she and I are bickering because for the 100th time, if G wanted something to eat he would either ask me or use his own two God given hands to get something himself!  She thinks I'm starving him and that as his wife I should bring him food....all.the.damn.time!).  

But we're a bickering family.  Some people would hightail it out of my house around the holidays because quite frankly I can't remember a single one where my mother doesn't get stressed and snap at me and my grandmama, which leads to my grandmama pouting and me spouting off about how being a witch really isn't appropriate at Christmas, and that I think she's confusing holidays.  Our house is never a serene tranquil place at either Thanksgiving or Christmas....until the food's done.  Once everything is cooked and my mother can relax we have a huge meal, we sit around the table either chatting animatedly or playing some cards.  We eat pie and have coffee.  It's calm (well as calm as my house ever gets), and we all enjoy ourselves.  

I used to worry that G would freak out, that he would sit petrified as he witnessed all this (because it doesn't have to be a holiday meal to be that crazy, lemme tell ya!).  But he either sits and converses with my Grandmama or brothers, or he jumps right in the fray.  But then again, he's never seen my parents house at Christmas.....so this year should be pretty enlightening!