All I want for Christmas...

My brother called last night around 8:30 pm. I had just walked in the door for the first time that night. I had been to dinner at church, wrapped the last of the presents for the families I adopted for Christmas and stopped at the Girl Scout meeting to sign permission for the princess’ to sell cookies (yea, thin mints!).

“I thought we agreed not to exchange presents for Christmas this year?”

He has previously said his finances are really tight this year. He is a cross-country truck driver with no wife, no girlfriend, no kids, no pets, and no plants. Last week he told me how he spent $1,200 on Nascar race tickets. That’s one weekend of racing in Ft. Worth, $1,200. That OK by me after all he loves it and its what he and his dad enjoy doing together. Like I said, he’s got no one else to spend his money on. He might as well enjoy himself.

“Why are you bringing this up, brother?”

“Well, Mom said you sent her a Christmas list today and I don’t know why you did this after we agreed not to exchange gifts this year.”

“First, I did not send Mom a Christmas list today and second, when the hell did Mom decide we weren’t exchanging gifts? You and I have talked about not exchanging gifts. Since when is Mom not exchanging gifts?”

“Well, I just know that her finances are really tight this year.”

“Look, I will buy presents for who ever I freaking feel like. I never give a gift with the expectation I will receive one back. So buy me a gift or don’t! I don’t freakin’ care! And what do you mean finances are tight this year? Mom and her husband just came back from 10 days in Vegas over Thanksgiving and took a helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon. You just told me about dropping $1,200 on one weekend of racing. Look, I just got home and I’ve still got to get my chores done for tomorrow, bye.”

“You’re not going to buy me a present, are you?”

I know my brother; he immediately called Mom and repeated our conversation. I imagine I’ll be hearing from her soon.

I told my girls of the conversation and that if either of them called I was not in. “For how long Mom?” Until after Christmas…

It’s been almost 12 hours since that call and I’m still pissed. Freaking make me some cookies or draw me a friggin picture. Neither of them has bought me anything special in the last 10 years that I can remember. The best thing I’ve received in the last ten years was for my birthday the two of them got together and burn their old cd’s and gave them to me. That was pretty cool and didn’t cost them much at all.

I can’t figure out if I’m mad or sad… I do know that I will buy presents for them if I freaking want to!