Another Christmas-type Post

As I was nosing through a closet, looking for my car title,  I was forced to riffle past MANY deflated Mylar balloons (my mom keeps deflated balloons on hand for any occasion, on account of it only cost $1 to refill them at most major grocery stores), and a decorative box containing TONS of baby teeth (mostly those of me and my brother and sisters, I imagine.  However, I'm not entirely convince my mom isn't the tooth fairy.  I've never seen them in the same room, at the same time... just sayin'...), I was reminded that MY MOM IS FUNNY!! And not funny like a kid in a restaurant, softly crying while they eat, but smart-quick witted-coulda been a writer for "Frasier" funny.  It really shines in the Sandbo Family Christmas letter, which everyone just loves... everyone... Another surprising place it comes in handy is eulogies.  My mom writes GREAT eulogies.  Anyway, here are 3 excerpts from said letter(s).  A little background, my mom writes a little blurb about each of us in the annual letter.  I'm going to include my two cents (or is it sense?) in parenthesis, in italics.  Just in case you miss some of the subtle comedic nuances. 

The Sandbos in matching, Rudolph sweatshirts.  They had little things in them, and when you pressed the nose, they played a Christmas song... no joke..

Christmas 1989
Kate started Kindergarten this year and loves getting away to some peace and quiet (see what she did there? Implied that a classroom full of 25 five year olds was more peaceful than our home life).  She did have some anxiety about the "remembering chair" at school.  She wanted to know if she threw up on the bus would she have to sit in the remembering chair to remember not to throw up and what if the teacher didn't see her raise her hand to get up would she have to stay there all night?  We told her yes.  She is now enrolled in a weekly support group for dealing with her fears.

Christmas 1994
Anne (that's my mom.  She's writing this part about herself) started work full time in November.  I'm an elementary school librarian in a school about 8 miles from home.  I feel really lucky and am enjoying it.  I get up early to get there by 7.  The only problem with that plan is that I'm ready to go to bed by 4:30.  Me being gone from home all day is a big adjustment for everyone, but things should settle in as soon as the kids complete their course on how to replace an empty toilet paper roll (Ha!  We were lazy, and made life super difficult for her).  The older kids just pitch in and help wherever they see it's needed.  Unfortunately, they all suffered from a virus this summer that severely limits their eyesight; so they honestly can't see anything that really needs to be done (again, we were such jerks).  The Dr. said it's only a temporary effect of the virus and as soon as they move out on their own they should recover.

Christmas 1996
Brittany is in the fourth grade and is really growing up.  She still just "isn't a tidy person" as she says and has to spend a big part of her days trying to locate where she last put whatever it is that she needs.  I just don't know where she gets that.  A place for everything and everything in its place I always say and a good place for everything is on the kitchen table, or when that overflows you can use the counters.  Britt follows in Emily's footsteps as a "petsitter".  The difference is that when a pet owner returns home and Emily had cared for their pet, the pet is usually alive.  With Britt, your chances are pretty much 50/50.  She doesn't make as much money as Emily does, because even though people do pay her, it's hard to cash a check for caring for a dead bunny (to be fair, Brittany only "killed" one family of small bunnies). 

As I read these, I really think me and my siblings added great fodder for the letters.  So, you're welcome mom.  But seriously though, is it two cents (kind of an extension of "a penny for your thoughts") or two sense (a play on one's intuitiveness)?

XOXOX,
Kate