I must be getting old...

Christmas is without a doubt my favorite holiday. I love the nostalgia of the mistletoe, the smell of the Christmas tree, lying under the tree to see the lights sparkling above, the smells of cooking, beautiful snow (hrumph), etc, etc, etc.

However, this year seemed to be lacking in all that warm, gooey feeling. We had a real tree this year, my mom started decorated way early, we were baking in November, but still, I feel "meh" about Christmas. And I love Christmas.

I can do without the material gifts, really, I can. They are a nice perk, but seeing family that I rarely see, toasting to our futures, sharing stories...I just love my family. Ever since my mom divorced my stepdad, things haven't been the same. I come from and Italian/Irish Catholic family, so you know there are a lot of us. A typical family gathering that is (to be redundant) typically every holiday has about 50-70 family members. Lately, everyone is just too lazy to care.

My brother visited this Christmas, so that was nice. But still, I would never be able to put this year's Christmas at the top of my most memorable Christmases. Or even close to the top.

I am feeling really down, which is unusual since I love this time of the year. Something is missing, something isn't right.

The day after Christmas was nice, Justin and Ethan came over so Shane and I, along with my brother Danny, and Ethan and Justin went to a Chinese buffet place. (Yes, I know that sentence is fragmented, I really don't care.) There has to be something wrong with me to think that I could go to a restaurant with four obnoxious boys and have a peaceful dinner. The boys cracked jokes left and right, causing the brother to shoot food out of his nostrils, Ethan to almost knock over the back of the booth, and Shane and I being the victims of a one-sided food fight. I wish I'd brought my camera with me, as the pictures would've shown exactly how I felt. It was nice, really, and basically better than Christmas.

Not much left to say, I start work with my second job again, as I fight a second bout of flu this season. I just want to close my eyes and sleep until things are better again.

Ciao.