I don't like half the folks I love

"God made friends to apologize for the family He made you."

Anonymous 

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I have an extended family Christmas party this weekend, and honestly, I don't like my extended family. They are an unnecessary source of stress for me. They put too much pressure on my mom, and my dad, and my sister, and my brother, and well, the whole family.

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Yes, this is a venting post, but please bare with me.

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I love them and all, but they are like I said, an unnecessary stress. Every time I encounter them, I feel like God put them on earth just to test my patience. And I am very certain they feel the same way about me and my family. 

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They have this thing about being judging about everything as well. So help me if they find out I'm a furry, I'll be lynched on site. I also have this nagging fear that they are conspiring to excommunicate me from the family, not that I would mind much. But so help me if I miss a family function, or I'm getting phone call upon phone call of wondering where I was, and was she pretty, or God forbid, I'm picking my friends over them. 

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There is no pleasing them. No matter what I do. I even make it a point to make sure I have gift receipts for the gifts I get them, in case they don't like it. But they still complain, and whine, and moan, and so on. But I get crap stuff, horrible holiday sweaters, another cup for hot cocoa, or some such nick-knack. Would it kill them just to get me a gift card to a Bookstore or a Music store? I've made it blatantly obvious, or so I'd think,  maybe they're just, well, lacking in the think tank compartment. 

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So, it got me thinking about who'd I'd rather be with over the weekend. Then it struck me. My friends. They are the family that I would have chosen if I could have. In fact, some are so close that they have became a surrogate family for me. And they are a lot more, tolerable then my extended family. Even when they are just, insane, dumb, what have you. 

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So, that was my soap box, getting off it, and going to practice my fake smile. 

Merry Christmas.

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Yours Truly

Kamden G. Blackstone

Tiger, Mormon, Creative.