{"id":1141,"date":"2024-12-16T13:46:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T19:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/?p=1141"},"modified":"2024-12-20T13:48:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T19:48:09","slug":"santa-claus-jr-is-comin-to-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/16\/santa-claus-jr-is-comin-to-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Claus Jr. Is Comin’ to Town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A\/N: Sorry these have been posted irregularly this month. I keep forgetting what day it is. I almost posted this on time yesterday, but I was so exhausted I passed out before I could.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What even happened this week? I\u2019ve been in a trance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went Christmas shopping with a friend. It was the first time I’ve ever really done that. It wasn\u2019t extreme Christmas shopping, just mostly looking for stuff for my parents, but nonetheless, I haven\u2019t really done that before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas has been an odd time for me these past few years. Since lockdown, but it\u2019s not entirely because of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know how when you were younger and you saw a relative you hadn\u2019t seen in a while, how they\u2019d always go, \u201cYou grew,\u201d or make some other comment about your changing appearance? That was me with my family post-lockdown, except it wasn\u2019t (completely) about my appearance, and there were no actual comments made. No one said anything at all, not even me, but we all knew I had changed. We all knew that we all had, but it felt different<\/em> surrounding me, though I know I probably just think that because I\u2019m me.<\/em> I have grown. I no longer fit in the spot I used to fill in my family, and I\u2019ve been trying to find a new one to inhabit ever since.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s normal for your family dynamics to change as you grow from child to adult. I think it\u2019s even normal to feel like the black sheep in your family. I\u2019m just wondering if that feeling ever goes away. Probably. Maybe. I guess I have to wait and see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides black-sheepism, I\u2019m also broke as hell, and prior to this year, I was extremely uncomfortable with even the idea of driving, so Santa Claus I was not. Even though I felt that I should\u2019ve been. Even though I wished<\/em> that could\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wrote a piece about it for school last year. We had to write a short vignette on a stranger, and I chose a girl and her mother that I had overhead on the train. The girl told her mother about all the gifts she was going to ask Santa for Christmas. The list was extensive and extreme. Her mom had to tell her, \u201cI don\u2019t think Santa can do that.\u201d There\u2019s always some gift too grand for even Santa to conjure up. Listening and secretly taking notes on the conversation made me lose track of the stops, and I wasn\u2019t experienced enough with the route to reorient myself in time, so, I, panicked, ended up getting off at the wrong stop. I realized it as soon as I got off the train, but I, embarrassed, walked to my location instead of getting back on. I made eye contact with the mom before I did. There\u2019s not much of note in the piece, but this is how I ended it\u2014this basically sums it up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wished that she told me it was alright if I got back on the train. I wished she told me it was alright if I didn\u2019t know where I was or where I needed to be. I wished she told me it was alright if I still wanted to believe in Santa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cried when I wrote the piece. I was in my dorm. One of my roommates was watching TV right in front of me. I wiped away my tears before anyone could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite my lazy front (is it a front?), I’m not a huge fan of always receiving and never giving, especially when it\u2019s to people who I would give everything<\/em> to\u2026 for? Whatever. The point is, ever since I outgrew child labor laws, I have felt an expectation to be Santa, and I have wanted<\/em> to be Santa, but I\u2019ve never been able to do so. I was too jobless, license-less, cowardly, and confused to be. I was trapped feeling pressured, unfulfilled, and behind. As per usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now I am job-ful, license-ful, a little less cowardly, and STILL confused!!! Hell yeah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My brother and I have decided to start small with gift giving; we’re at Santa Claus Jr. level. Only gifts for our parents because getting stuff for everyone is so stressful, man. We\u2019re not ready. Even getting gifts for just two people has been stressful! For our dad, all we have (we still need to fine-tune the gift) for ideas is \u201cSportball.\u201d That\u2019s it. Just \u201cSportball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have hope that Christmas will be a bit less odd this year. I\u2019m not looking for perfection, I would just like cheerful, festive vibes and happy, cozy times. I can withstand being the black sheep, just make sure the wool is soft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future is scary. It gets scarier each time that I think about it. But next year, maybe my brother and I will buy gifts for our grandparents, too. And I just helped my brother buy a year-long subscription to a comics collection. And the next F1 season is bound to be dramatic. And my fanfiction is going to get good. And my hair keeps getting curlier. And we might grow a peach tree instead. And my New Year\u2019s Resolution is shaping up to be interesting. And you won\u2019t understand half of what I\u2019m talking about. And you\u2019re still here. And so am I.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My week has been rather plain anyways, not that I\u2019m complaining. Although I had a friend tell me that her favorite blog posts of mine are the ones where I go through a crisis. Those are my favorite too, quite frankly, but boy, does that suck. No, wait, I can make this positive. Ooo, poetic lines incoming. Hold on, whole ass poem<\/em> incoming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. That\u2019s a fun one. I haven\u2019t really experimented with calligrams before, though this is the most basic example of one. Still was fun to write! And annoying! Graphic design is NOT my passion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was just thinking about what type of writer I would consider myself the other day. I was asked that at work once and I stumbled through a half-baked answer, so I thought it might be useful to think it through. I\u2019ve decided on saying that I am mostly a fiction writer, usually within the coming-of-age, realistic fiction, comedic realm, though I\u2019ve recently started dabbling with creative nonfiction writing about my life. I am also a sporadic poet; occasionally I am possessed by some impassioned pull and am forced to write poetry, as shown above. In general, I write about identity in whatever form I feel most compelled by, in hopes that I may understand my own a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEEZ this is a pretentious post. Or maybe overly-dramatic is the better term. Let me talk about the projects I\u2019ve been working on to end. That should bring us back down to planet Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have completed the first chapter of my fanfic!!!! Thank you beloved bestie and common commenter Kayak for being my beta reader and helping me edit it! Much appreciated. I tried making an AO3 account so I can start to learn how tags work and hopefully get it posted sometime soon, but I got waitlisted! You need to get on an email list and wait for them to send you a link in order to make an account! I get why, but it doesn\u2019t make it any less annoying. The date I\u2019m supposed to get mine is December 23rd. Man c\u2019mon. That\u2019s eons away. No, it\u2019s not, but I can\u2019t wait! Although, this has forced me to start on chapter two. I haven\u2019t been too in the writing mood as of the past couple of days due to my other projects, but I am nonetheless so excited to see my story come to life. I have ideas. Hopefully they turn out good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have spent too many hours working on THE F1 video. I have the driver descriptions finished and am now onto explaining that actual season. I\u2019m a little less than halfway done, but I have the theme of the slides pretty locked down so it should be quicker to make the rest. I then have to make the script, find a decent microphone, record, edit, post, and bada bing bada boom it\u2019s done! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I\u2019m basically done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My 2024 white boy calendar is complete! I plan on sending out a survey concerning some superlatives to give them. I\u2019m calling it the White Boy Awards. I\u2019ve already started to work on it; it\u2019s super easy to make, but I don\u2019t want to send it out quite yet, so I\u2019m putting it on the back-burner for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am working on a secret project, too. I\u2019m not sure if I will share more about it once I\u2019m done because of… reasons… but I\u2019ll say this: Maybe I was wrong. Maybe graphic design IS my passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOUSE SEASON 8 SPOILERS<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am season eight of House<\/em>. The final one. We did it. Hey look Ma, I made it. This season has sucked! Cuddy and Thirteen left. Are you kidding me? Cuddy and Thirteen?!?!? In the final season?!?!? Shoot me. Just shoot me. We have two new characters replacing them and I don\u2019t even remember their names. Bob girl and prison lady. I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m so sorry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is going to make the woke mob get me, but it must be said. I understand that they added these characters to meet the woman quota, but you cannot expect me to care as much about them as I do about characters who have been here since the beginning or just about. Also, at this point, I can tell that these characters are just fulfilling archetypes that other characters had. Prison lady\u2019s thing is just Cameron\u2019s compassion and morality. Bob girl\u2019s thing is just Masters\u2019 quirk and youthfulness. Except Cameron was more interesting and Masters was more entertaining. I lowkey miss Masters, honestly. If Cuddy and Thirteen are gone, I would\u2019ve liked to see her come back. It wouldn\u2019t have made much sense story wise, but I do not care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anyone else leaves, I\u2019ll puke. Also, Foreman is the big boss now. We win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope the show wraps up nicely. It\u2019s slowly coming to a natural stop, I think. The question is how to end it. It always is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A\/N: Sorry these have been posted irregularly this month. I keep forgetting what day it is. I almost posted this on time yesterday, but I was so exhausted I passed out before I could. What even happened this week? I\u2019ve been in a trance. I went Christmas shopping with a friend. It was the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1141"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1169,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1141\/revisions\/1169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/longstoriesshort.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}