Help
Sign In
creativity
January 2009 
Christmas At Our House...
Posted on Dec 25th, 2008
by 
Seladyne
Seladyne
It's Christmas Morning and I'm sitting here at the computer alone looking around our home with a particular sense of helplessness. It has been a difficult week. And it is funny that it is only one particular thing that vexes me on this day.
Point of fact, it is exactly 52 degrees farenheight in our home. I'm sitting here with a small electric heated fan at my feet and wrapped in a quilt that my great grandmother made when I was about six. I am wearing a pair of my husband's socks, as I hate socks generally speaking, but this is somehow necessary. To that end, I am quite happy to have them on. Our home has hardwood floors which would leave me even colder than I am right now.
Before I get too much on my soapbox in relating the events leading up to today, let me focus on the positive. There is much to be happy about and thankful for. We have a modest but beautiful home. The Christmas/Yule Tree that we put up is beautifully decorated. There is a heap of presents on the floor below the multi-colored lights. Thus we've ensured that those we love will have a wonderful holiday including my parents, his parents, and our little one.
There is food in our fridge waiting for the feast tomorrow. Though I had to give away the 20 pound turkey that I was going to cook for our family gathering tomorrow. (more on that in a moment) My 30th birthday is tomorrow and will be filled with family, friends, and a little girl ripping into the packages that her father and I carefuly picked out for her. There will be laughter, warmth, and sharing of the best Yuletide in a good long while for me.
Yet, something overshadows it all.
Like many people, we've struggled through lay-offs and unemployment. We have been fortunate though. When my husband had takent the temp job back in the summer we opted to let our natural gas go in an effort to keep food on the table and the electricity on so that we could still cook in the microwave. We have a gas range in this house. So when this time of year rolled around and my husband is working a much better job we decided to host the holidays here. Having the gas turned on so that I could cook for my family and our own.
We also have gas central heat here. Which means that as the temperature plummets to below 30 degrees here so does the temperature in our house. With three adults, it wasn't such a big deal However, when a ten year old girl is in the house, and complains of the cold, we have a big problem.
Two weeks ago, I went to pay the deposit on the gas and set up to have it turned on. I was told it would take two weeks. In the middle of winter, two weeks is a long time. But, given the situation I thanked them and went to patiently wait. The scheduler set the date for the 23rd.
By the 23rd I was excited. It was cold. We'd gone out the previous night to eat just to be in somewhere warm and get a hot meal. However, the morning of the 23rd. I was snuggled up to my husband to keep warm in our bedroom. I woke early since there had to be someone over the age of 18 home to allow them to turn it on. Furthermore she told me that it could be anytime between 8 and 5. The bedroom is right beside our porch. In fact there is a door from the porch that goes into our bedroom. My best friend, our roommate, left for work and I got out of bed about 10:30. I put on coffee, and went to work on my usual website business.
Noon: the hubby gets up to get ready for work. He won't be home until two or three in the morning. The gas company still hasn't arrived. No one has knocked on our door. No one has phoned, with the exception of my husband's partner on the job.
I go out to check the mail on the stoop and what do I find but a yellow ticket where the gas company claims that they have come and no one was home.
I called the gas company. Explained the situation: I was home, he didn't even knock on the door, and that I needed this done today. They assure me someone will be back out before five. I calm a bit. I tell my husband to go ahead and take the car and our check card so he could get lunch stuff at the store. I called my roommates work kto let her know that she would have to walk home or find a ride since I was without a vehicle. Then, I called my mother to firm up plans for the 26th. We were chatting, things were good. Then four o'clock rolled around. I figured I better call and make sure things were still a go.
They weren't. Someone had rescheduled the order for Monday. They were supposed to call and advise me that an overtime charge would have to be paid before five in order to send a tech out because the tech had been here.
I saw red. An hour of arguing ensued. I had no way to pay this fee, nor do I feel I should have had to pay it. I was here when the tech said he was here. He didn't even attempt to knock on the door.
Supervisors, managers, and a television station later; I was calling my family to cancel Christmas. I called a friend to come and get the 20 pound turkey. It was just going to go to waste as it needed to be cooked in the next few days. And then I thought about our daughter and how she was going to be cold and I broke down.
Thank the Gods that I called my mother when I did. She and my stepfather talked about it and the next thing I knew we had the Christmas thing worked out. He's smoking a turkey and a roast to bring. Everything else can conceiveably be done in the microwave. On top of that, they are going to bring us a kerosene heater for the winter as well.
So this morning as I sit here contemplating all the things that we have, I can't help but feel a sense of helplessness this season. It seems like everytime something starts to go our way, something comes along and knocks us down. Maybe that's just life.
Don't get me wrong I'm very thankful for all that we have. But it seems like no matter what we do there is always something fighting us just below the surface.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the ones you love.
Point of fact, it is exactly 52 degrees farenheight in our home. I'm sitting here with a small electric heated fan at my feet and wrapped in a quilt that my great grandmother made when I was about six. I am wearing a pair of my husband's socks, as I hate socks generally speaking, but this is somehow necessary. To that end, I am quite happy to have them on. Our home has hardwood floors which would leave me even colder than I am right now.
Before I get too much on my soapbox in relating the events leading up to today, let me focus on the positive. There is much to be happy about and thankful for. We have a modest but beautiful home. The Christmas/Yule Tree that we put up is beautifully decorated. There is a heap of presents on the floor below the multi-colored lights. Thus we've ensured that those we love will have a wonderful holiday including my parents, his parents, and our little one.
There is food in our fridge waiting for the feast tomorrow. Though I had to give away the 20 pound turkey that I was going to cook for our family gathering tomorrow. (more on that in a moment) My 30th birthday is tomorrow and will be filled with family, friends, and a little girl ripping into the packages that her father and I carefuly picked out for her. There will be laughter, warmth, and sharing of the best Yuletide in a good long while for me.
Yet, something overshadows it all.
Like many people, we've struggled through lay-offs and unemployment. We have been fortunate though. When my husband had takent the temp job back in the summer we opted to let our natural gas go in an effort to keep food on the table and the electricity on so that we could still cook in the microwave. We have a gas range in this house. So when this time of year rolled around and my husband is working a much better job we decided to host the holidays here. Having the gas turned on so that I could cook for my family and our own.
We also have gas central heat here. Which means that as the temperature plummets to below 30 degrees here so does the temperature in our house. With three adults, it wasn't such a big deal However, when a ten year old girl is in the house, and complains of the cold, we have a big problem.
Two weeks ago, I went to pay the deposit on the gas and set up to have it turned on. I was told it would take two weeks. In the middle of winter, two weeks is a long time. But, given the situation I thanked them and went to patiently wait. The scheduler set the date for the 23rd.
By the 23rd I was excited. It was cold. We'd gone out the previous night to eat just to be in somewhere warm and get a hot meal. However, the morning of the 23rd. I was snuggled up to my husband to keep warm in our bedroom. I woke early since there had to be someone over the age of 18 home to allow them to turn it on. Furthermore she told me that it could be anytime between 8 and 5. The bedroom is right beside our porch. In fact there is a door from the porch that goes into our bedroom. My best friend, our roommate, left for work and I got out of bed about 10:30. I put on coffee, and went to work on my usual website business.
Noon: the hubby gets up to get ready for work. He won't be home until two or three in the morning. The gas company still hasn't arrived. No one has knocked on our door. No one has phoned, with the exception of my husband's partner on the job.
I go out to check the mail on the stoop and what do I find but a yellow ticket where the gas company claims that they have come and no one was home.
I called the gas company. Explained the situation: I was home, he didn't even knock on the door, and that I needed this done today. They assure me someone will be back out before five. I calm a bit. I tell my husband to go ahead and take the car and our check card so he could get lunch stuff at the store. I called my roommates work kto let her know that she would have to walk home or find a ride since I was without a vehicle. Then, I called my mother to firm up plans for the 26th. We were chatting, things were good. Then four o'clock rolled around. I figured I better call and make sure things were still a go.
They weren't. Someone had rescheduled the order for Monday. They were supposed to call and advise me that an overtime charge would have to be paid before five in order to send a tech out because the tech had been here.
I saw red. An hour of arguing ensued. I had no way to pay this fee, nor do I feel I should have had to pay it. I was here when the tech said he was here. He didn't even attempt to knock on the door.
Supervisors, managers, and a television station later; I was calling my family to cancel Christmas. I called a friend to come and get the 20 pound turkey. It was just going to go to waste as it needed to be cooked in the next few days. And then I thought about our daughter and how she was going to be cold and I broke down.
Thank the Gods that I called my mother when I did. She and my stepfather talked about it and the next thing I knew we had the Christmas thing worked out. He's smoking a turkey and a roast to bring. Everything else can conceiveably be done in the microwave. On top of that, they are going to bring us a kerosene heater for the winter as well.
So this morning as I sit here contemplating all the things that we have, I can't help but feel a sense of helplessness this season. It seems like everytime something starts to go our way, something comes along and knocks us down. Maybe that's just life.
Don't get me wrong I'm very thankful for all that we have. But it seems like no matter what we do there is always something fighting us just below the surface.
Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the ones you love.
Access: Public
