David Timmons - English - Holiday Memoir
Holiday Memoirs
Wisconsin is a 'happenin' place. People are big on cheese and football, and there's always something to do late at night in Madison, 'the big city'. Last year's Christmas party at Aunt Jamie's was a memorable one, probably in part to the party not being at Aunt Jamie's, but rather with her in various parts of Madison.
Arriving in Wisconsin breathed a sigh of relief into my sister and I after a tedious plane ride that had us stopping in three cities before arriving in Wisconsin International. It was strange enough for my parents to stay home and send us to spend time with the rest of the family while they celebrated the birth of our glorious savior with close friends, but then the multiple airports and cancelled flights put my sister and I on the brink of insanity.
Poor weather had caused my flights to be delayed, but I came to find out that it had held other relatives who had hopes of converging on Aunt Jamie's in various cities around a snow belt that stopped planes dead in their jet streams. Finally reaching our destination, my sister and I expected to see a small army of relatives awaiting our arrival, but instead only saw Aunt Jamie with a sign encompassed in Christmas lights; she always was a witty one. With the utmost of consolation she informed us of our other relatives' poor luck with modern transportation and at the thought of sitting around a Christmas tree and poorly garnished dinner table with only three people, suggested a night out.
Did she really think she could pull off an enjoyable evening with two trendy "young-adults"? My sister and I thought this single question over and over as we drove through Madison looking for the right place to enjoy Christmas. Oh, what a shock- nothing was open. Searching high and low, we found a club that was playing what seemed to be underground dance music, which suited my just fine, but initially brought my sister's mood down a couple notches. Just under eighteen, we had a little trouble getting me into the club, but it being Christmas and all, the man checking Ids at the front door granted me entrance and in we went.
The dance floor was packed, and it didn't take very long to get separated from my sister and aunt. The DJ was exceptional, and the music took over, diverting any intentions I had of finding them. I accidentally bumped into my sister a while later and we exchanged reactions to the exceptional celebration we found ourselves in, but nothing prepared us for the turn of events following our conversation.
There she was, Aunt Jamie, on a table dancing like it was her "J-O-B". She seemed a little too into it though. Could it be some dance from back in the day? Nope, it was probably the alcohol. I decided it was definitely the alcohol when she fell off the table, landing on chairs and the adjacent table. I've heard people don't feel pain when they're drunk, and for Aunt Jamie's sake, I hope it's true because wow, what a fall that was. We rushed over and helped her up, carrying her to and through the exit and out to the car. My sister found the keys on the floor where she had fell and drove to home while I kept an eye on her from the passenger side. She looked almost a pale shade of green - perfect for the holiday season I guess - but very content at the same time. This was definitely a side of Aunt Jamie I had never seen before and also a Christmas I will never forget.
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