so. christmas.

my home this christmas was very full.
picture this:
the living room--is where your youngest sister lives. she has just had surgery on both feet. (bunions, viscious little critters). her "bed" is the sofa plus a cot, wedged together and piled high with pillows and blankets. the entire coffee table is her nightstand.
the bedrooms--are for luggage. in each room, the bags and suitcases surround the bed, leaving no floor for walking. when preparing to actually sleep on said bed(s), one must stand at the door, back up a few steps, and then, leap. (do not attempt this in the dark.)

so, you're home for christmas. Mike, a friend from high school, comes to visit. you invite him in, only to realize (how did you miss it?) that there is literally no place for him to sit. you can sit on the ceramic tile that is the living room floor, on the wooden benches that surround the kitchen table, on the brick fireplace, or join the invalid sister on her super-couch.
we join her on the super-couch. my brother joins us , and in the end it's me, my 25-year-old friend, my 17-year-old sister, and my 21-year-old brother all on this one bed while my other sister observes from the only arm chair left in the room. we're all together, one large jumble of over-large bodies, and i wonder aloud, "Are we close because we had to be this close, or are we this close because we are close?"
i'm full of wisdom like this.
"Both," says the arm-chair sister.
Poor Mike.
we watch the ever-spastic Disney classic, Aladdin, and all is well.
peace on earth. good will towards men.
merry christmas.