December 22nd
Growing up my grandparents hosted a party for the entire family the Saturday before Christmas. It was always a packed house with four kids, their spouses and us eight grandkids. When we were little we had the run of the back room and the basement. We used to do some really bizarre things like throw deli meat in the ceiling light and try and blind each other in all out rubber band battle royals. As we got older, the parties became more about getting real drunk and peeing (for the boys) off the back deck. My grandparents have been gone six years (hard to believe) but last year we reinstated the Very Merry Martin Christmas tradition.
There's even more kids now, as only two of us remain to procreate. This is my cousin Kevin, who I hadn't seen in four years, and his adorable little son, Troy. It was really great spending time with both of them.
I think it's hard for my uncle Tony and Aunt Kath to believe that they now have four women in their life! I think it is hilarious that the husbands were all left out of the photo!
My cousin Matt must have raided my Dad's closet for a party shirt this year!
The most bizarre tradition the Martin's developed over the years was the annual defacing of the Holy family portrait my grandmother hung next to the front door. When no one was looking, different family members had their heads cut out of photos and taped on to Baby Jesus. It used to piss my grandmother off like you would not believe! The only time we pissed her off more was the year someone posted a photo of my cousin Dave over her portrait of the Pope with a "Merry Christmas. Shitter's Full!" word bubble. Or...well....maybe it was the year that my cousin Matt mooned the camera in EVERY family portrait! In any case, my dad dug this family heirloom out of the closet and it was really fun to see it again and remember old times!
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