Guest

Tis’ the season for cleaning, decorating, and celebrating this special season, but why?

It is all in preparation of entertaining the “guest”.

Invitations are written and mailed, the best china is brought out of storage, pictures are replaced on the wall, carpets are vacuumed, funky items only used once a year are dug out of dark places, silver polished and candles lit to impress strangers invading our living space. Old socks are picked up off the floor, scented arrangements are strategically placed attempting to hide the normal odious smells, and children are dressed in their finery and paraded about to be tiny servants.

But do these “guest” who come into our abode appreciate all the effort or do they just want to drink our wine and eat our food and make loud noises while destroying family relics then stumble home leaving their trash and putrid behaviors.

OK, look now. you won’t invite them over to invade your space if they weren’t someone special to you right? Well, they may be relevant to the occupation environment or perhaps long lost relatives in close proximity for the holidays.

But they are still “guest”.

Normal behavior is put on hold so you can gather their wraps and place them on the bed while welcoming them into your house presenting them with the tinsel and glitter hoping to divert their attention from the spread of sliced meats and veggies on the dining room table, but they quickly gather to munch there.

The careful selection of seasonal musical entertainment is drowned out by the clinking of glasses and drunken laughter.

Conversations of how the health of family members are without really caring and lying about how wonderful their appearance is, all the while the “guest” are surveying the surroundings with crocodile smiles and pleasantries until they can leave and tell hateful comments while swerving home.

And once they are gone, the lights are turned down and the tree unplugged and the fancy clothes replaced by the comfortable cuddly garments we really wanted to wear with a deep sigh.

So why do we go through this?

Well, it is the season for entertaining others and to entertain we must invite people we do not normally hang out with to our home.

But don’t worry, this zany season will be over soon and they will not invite you to their homes, so you can relax and get back into the habit of living your life the way you want to.