Less Traveled By Makes All The Difference

There`s no such thing as a perfect person. Right? Bueller? Bueller?

Okay fine, then why is this man, um, perfect? Well okay, he`s not perfect. But he`s perfect for me. And it still terrifies me that (a) such a specific set of circumstances led us to be together, and (b) I don`t want to do anything to f*ck it up. He has made me a better person by allowing me to be me— and loving me for it. ::sigh:: So I said all that to say this: this holiday proved to be the embodiment of the holiday season for me. He was- I mean it was- wonderful. Yeah, he was wonderful too.

We put up decorations together: he let me put stuff wherever I wanted to and I got to put all my ornaments on his giant 12-foot tree. He even loved my idea of turning a pretty tablecloth into a tree skirt.

We shopped like maniacs: he helped me pick out slippers for my brother and even waited patiently while I picked out shirts and looked at purses. He even managed to sneak a couple surprises in for me. He was so patient.

We wrapped gifts: from eight in the evening till two in the morning, we sat in a pile of paper and bows and ribbon while I got tape stuck in my hair and cut paper crooked. And he didn`t even criticize the way I wrap presents. He actually likes it!

We hosted Christmas at our house: he graciously welcomed by family into our house, helping me make up the guest room for them and even buying them Christmas pajamas. He reveled in their company as we baked and ate and talked and laughed. He loves my family, and they deserve to be loved.

Even more than usual, he kissed me often and for no reason as we prepared our holiday meal and watched Christmas movies. We cuddled in the front of the fire, and he doesn`t let my mom give me a hard time.

I could quite literally go on for pages until you`re all vomiting into your coffee cups and martini glasses. But I won`t.

Ooh! Ooh! Christmas pickle! So there`s this German tradition of hiding a glass ornament shaped like a large dill pickle on the tree. Whoever finds the Christmas pickle gets an extra present. Yes, Germans are weird. Whatever. So yeah, we`re done opening gifts on Christmas morning. My family (and his) are sitting around the living room, and GTF announces it`s time to look for the Christmas pickle. Under the tree is a good sized box with the tag reading To: The Pickle Finder. I hang back, letting our houseguests search for the elusive green pickle.

Then the GTF insists I search, too, and I do. Embarrassingly, it takes me a while but I end up finding the pickle, and I am handed the sought after pickle present. I open it to reveal the special edition red iPod Nano that I had wanted more than anything this year. Apparently, the GTF has instructed everybody that the pickle search was going to be a surpise for me and they should all play along. I.love.surprises. He knows it, and that made me feel so incredibly special. ::sigh::

What`s more, not only did I get to enjoy the full extent of the holidays with the man I`ve always wanted to love me, but I also had my family right there with me. This is the first year I`ve been blessed enough to be with both the man I love and my family at the same time. And everybody likes everybody else! I know this shouldn`t seem like such a novel concept, but for me it is, and I still can`t quite take it all in sometimes. It makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

There were so many times during the past weekend where I would simply stand back and watch my dad and the GTF talk about going hunting, my mom and his mom talking about recipes, the GTF hugging my mom and telling her how nice she looked.

The only thought I had was This is how it`s supposed to be. This- this right here- is was I`ve been missing, what I`ve been looking for. I don’t know how I got so lucky. But I did.

Tomorrow- jellied shrimp and just desserts.