Write about my favorite family traditions.
The first, easiest thing that comes to mind is Christmas: we all get pajamas on christmas eve—they were usually clearance PJs from Ross—and watch a movie. And then on christmas morning, my parents would have wrapped all the presents BUT with numbers on them instead of names, and then we’d go around the entire family, each person picking one at a time, not knowing who’s present it was they’d just grabbed, and my parents would then check their list and say who it was for. It would take us a couple hours to open presents that way…and I loved it. Each person got to celebrate each gift that way, with the entire family focused on them.
I’m trying to think about other traditions…coming up blank. There are definitely more. But Christmas was a big one. My parents didn’t have a lot when we were kids, money was usually tight, but they really turned it out for christmas every year. My mom was super poor when she was young, and she never wanted her kids to feel like they couldn’t get what they wanted for christmas.
———
A rainy day in LA. Rained almost all day. Even rained when I was at my haircut at 6pm. The forecast keeps saying the rain will end, but it never really does. Spells here and there where nothing is coming down, like we just used to take the pups out to go potty before bed, but then it starts up again for a while.
I loved it. And, yes, the cliche: we needed it. REALLY needed it. For the fires. To improve the air quality. Everything. It finally feels like the proper time of year.
We watched the Avicii documentary on Netflix, Liz and I. It’s…sad. And very sweet. Made me think about Russell, my brother, who, himself, completed suicide all the way back in 2006. It feels like they were similar maybe in how it happened—on impulse. A dark moment that pushed them to take an action they didn’t survive. Everything else in their life would indicate that they fully planned on living. No affairs were wrapped up. No goodbyes.
But maybe not. Maybe I’m projecting that. At the very least, it made me think about my brother and how much I miss him. I will always miss him.
Took a quick nap. Did my timesheet. Set myself up for the week, which feels oh so good. To be in bed right now with clean sheets, a clean house, and a small list of stuff to get done tomorrow…feels good. Really, really good.
Night night.