Comparing Christmas Parties

My dad has several siblings so I grew up around a lot of my uncles, aunts and cousins. The annual Christmas get together has been a family thing for my entire life, encompassing any relative who dared to be there. It's one of those events that I missed while we were away, but would attend whenever I would spend the holiday back in Iowa. It's typically the Saturday before Christmas which translates to… during winter. We lived in California for a long time. So for us, the drama surrounding the party is all about the weather.

Here are sample clips of conversations DH and I had regarding my family's Christmas party (which happened to be last night):

A few days before:
DH: Have you checked the weather? Supposed to be a storm front coming through Saturday evening. Just in time for the party.
Me: Lovely. Think we'll be able to make it?
DH: Yeah, but we might want to pack a change of clothes in case the roads are really bad and we need to stay at your folks' house.
Me: I guess. The dogs will be inside though so I would rather we get back home.

The morning of the party:
DH: The weather reports say we're going to have freezing rain. The roads will be getting icy around 8:30.
Me: Ok, we'll let everyone know we need to be on the roads to head home by 8:30.

At the party:
Me: They said it's getting slick outside, we need to get moving.
We head outside only to find the van covered in ice. We don't have a remote start, so the girls and I sat in the van while the defroster did it's magic and DH scraped the windows.

On the drive home (at 45 mph maximum):
DH: Can you find a road report on the radio?
Radio: Driving is not recommended. Roads are getting slick. Tow services are restricted on the following major roadways (then he listed about 50).
Me: No tow service on the roads? That doesn't make sense.
DH: Nice salt caked van we have now.
Me: Yeah, I see the salt truck right up there. I need to get it in for a wash.

When we got home:
Me (calling my folks): Just calling to let you know we made it home safely. Figured mom was worried.
Dad: She was. Roads were okay, but are getting bad now. Thanks for calling to let us know.

In contrast – Here was the typical conversation for our Los Angeles Christmas parties.
Me: You ready to go?
DH: Yeah. I already let the dogs out into the yard.