Missing Out on Things: My Family's Christmas

I totally should have remembered to buy my dad an oplatek.

Every year -- this is no exception -- I forget that you can buy all sorts of hard-to-find random stuff on the internet. Of course as my family dwindles (and you will note that I cleverly timed my visit to miss actual Christmas), the traditions get simplified. My dad's family used to celebrate a very traditional Wigilia; my mom's family less so (but everyone was required to come to Christmas Eve, hosted by my mom's spinster aunt, at what had been my great-grandparents' house -- the three-bedroom house where they raised 10 children). According to my mom, this year about a half dozen relatives are getting together tonight and having chili.

Here, far away from the family chaos, I am contemplating starting a household project. I'm thinking of putting up shelves in the den for all the CDs.