"Todd's Thanksgiving"

I went over to my parent's house today for Thanksgiving Day Dinner, and within seconds of getting into the kitchen, my Mother tells me that I look like Rasputin; eyes all bugged out with my hair getting long and my beard unkempt.

Basically, I looked like the Jesus that most of us were lead to believe looked like through the filter of the White churches.

After bantering back and forth with my Mom for a couple of minutes, my niece Kalen comes into the kitchen and asks me if I have a Birthday present for her, and I look at her with a goofy face and tell her, "No."

She sulks off back to her room and I'm left to think to myself, "Am I a prick or something?!"

My Mom casts a judgemental eye my way and I say, "What?! I never got any gifts from my Uncles... with the exception of Neal, and that was a cool Wolverine Graphic Novel. Do you think she would like a Graphic Novel?! I've got plenty, but I think that the subject matter would be a bit over her head..."

My Mom turns back to preparing the stuffing, gravy and ToFurkey and I seath in my own self-doubt for the moment.

Was I an asshole, or were the kids too expectant of gifts that they already got? I was thinking that I was an asshole, personally... but I feel that gifts are something to be earned, not expected.

Thirty minutes later, dinner is ready, and we all go to the Dining Room to suckle at the teats of my Mom's fine cooking, and we all get to answer the question, "So, what are you thankful for?" I say, "I'm glad that I'm no longer working for Calspan... and that's all I've got to say on that."

Everyone else does the standards of non-specificity for Thanksgiving and we all start to eat quitely.

My niece - who at first refused to eat, has now changed her mind - wants some of the Cornish Game Hen that my sister Jen went out of her way to purchase and cook. I'm glad to see my niece not taking the passive-aggresive way out and being somewhat mature in her way.

I don't understand children, honestly... I love them, but I don't get them.

When a kid squeals at a high pitch, I don't feel the urge to protect them, I feel the need to scold them to behave like humans... maybe it's my upbringing.

It was fun eating Thankgiving with my family, but then again, it always is, only now we have two pint-sized new members. I love my nieces, and with time, they'll come to understand Uncle Todd, and why he's so weird.

I look forward to that day, much like my Uncle Neal looked forward to that day with us.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody.