I finally took down my Christmas lights yesterday. They were supposed to come down on December 26. I can’t tell you what took so long except they are down now, so there.

I think in some ways, I’m just looking forward to January being over so I can actually get out of the house without needing so much preparations. Right now, when I go out, I have to put on an extra down jacket, a woolen hat, gloves, and put an electric hand-warmer in my pocket just in case it’s not enough. I’m also sick of shivering while watching TV on the couch. Even with the furnace and the fireplace running, I’m still cold.

Did I ever tell you about what happened over Christmas?

On Christmas Eve, my aunt announced that she had been invited to a co-worker’s house for Christmas dinner and that her brother (my mom’s brother) and his wife would be going with her. Almost immediately, my mom was upset. “How come no one invites me to dinner?” She then went on a rant about how her siblings only pay attention to her when they want something and no one cares about her on holidays.

Early the next morning (Christmas), her brother called her, asking her out to lunch. “It’s Christmas, nothing will open.” My mom replied. Her brother wanted to invite her to lunch at an Asian buffet nearby. The more he tried to convince her, the more she rejected his offer. “It’s not good,” she said despite never to had eaten at this particular buffet, “the food’s dirty.”

That day, while I spent the day putting together a jigsaw puzzle, she spent the day lying on the couch watching YouTube. Dinner that night was nothing special, just the typical things we eat on a nightly basis.

Don’t you think it’s a bit mind blowing?

She would get jealous of other people getting invited to events but when someone invites her to anything, she would reject them. It’s a bit mind-blowing, right?