I’m not a big gotta have it my way sort of person.
That’s just really not in my makeup.
So when I do sort of say enough is enough, it can take those close to me a bit by surprise. But that’s exactly what happened last spring. It just finally hit me that I wasn’t traveling north to endure too much HVAC heating at Christmas anymore. This is a trip we have traditionally made every single year since we were married. My wife’s folks live up north and so we’ve always gone to their place for Christmas. I figure 16 years in a row are enough. I hate leaving perfect weather in the south for the snow, ice and infernal thermostat settings at my in laws. And God forbid anyone asks to turn down the heating to a reasonable level. That just doesn’t happen and I learned that the hard way early on. So I’ve just been content to suffer for 10 days of my vacation time each year. Well no more. The kids are now at an age where they have things they want to do around the holidays. And I want to enjoy the weather here where the heat pump hardly even has to come on. Of course, this did not go over well with the in laws. But I bought them a pair of plane tickets to come south if they wanted this past Christmas. They didn’t but have since regretted that. I have to hand it to my wife. She really stood by me and was ready to have our own Christmas in our home with our kids. So maybe the grandparents will get it together next Christmas and come down here. But the thermostat setting will still be mine.