family holidays

Clare,

It is good that you have your family around and that they don't feel "obligated" to spend holiday time with you. We still have not gotten to the point of splitting holidays between significant others's parents. My oldest chooses to spend holidays with family for the most part. There are some "command performances" but not too many. I know it will be different if they marry or have children, then suddenly the stakes are raised. I remember being frustrated that husband's family was so dominant about holiday celebrations. But, our family never really invited us…
we were welcome…
but there were no invitations or even sharing of plans ahead of times.
It's like birthdays in our family of origin…
no one made a big deal of them…
now there aren't even birthday cards sent.
I don't know when I received a birthday card from a sibling was.
A while ago I made a resolution to send a birthday card to siblings, spouses and children for a year.
The following year I received zero for my birthday…
so it's not even a reciprocal thing.
I do understand that we don't offer kindness in order to receive similar kindness…
but it was my family/social experiment.

I'm sorry that snow is persistently falling up there. We are almost free of snow in the yard. I've been out walking on non-rainy days. This week has 5/7 days with rain forecast. I've got to get my body back in shape.

I saw my plastic surgeon this week. His resident was offing several revisions they could make on my boobs…I told them they are good enough. They look normal with clothes on, they don't hurt and I have full range of motion…enough surgery for now.

Love and Light beautiful sister,
Maggie