Christmas Letters

Friends of ours send out one of those cute, witty Christmas "letters" every year.  It's very funny and we look forward to receiveing it each year.  It is not obnoxious or boastful or egotistical in any way, shape or form.  Some times it's sad (one year they had to put their dog down and one year M was out of work and things were tough) but it's always upbeat and positive w/ out being over the top.

On the other hand, we all have those friends (or family members) whose life, according to them, is all sunshine and roses and rainbows and unicorns poop glitter.  This is usually the same friend (or family member) who posts things on FB like, "Happy Anniversary to the BEST husband EVER," or "Happy Birthday to the most AMAZING (or BEAUTIFUL) daughter in the world."  You know exactly what I'm talking about.  That stuff drives me insane.  Listen, we all think our husbands are great, our kids are wonderful, etc.  Don't tell me.  Tell them.  Don't plaster it all over FB or Twitter, tell them.  It will mean so much more than a generic blurb on social media. 

Getting back to those Christmas letters.  I have a friend who sends out the most obnoxious Christmas letters in the world.  Her husband is the BEST, her kids are INCREDIBLE and life is so GREAT, she wouldn't change a THING.  Hey, I'm all for being positive and upbeat but let's face it.  No one's life is that perfect all the time.  It's not normal.  It's OK to say, "I'm mad at my husband today."  Or, "I'm disappointed my kid didn't make the basketball team."  Or, "Money's tight this month."  Whatever it may be.  Hell, KJ had to sit out a recent volleyball game because she got a bad grade on her math test.  It happens.  It's part of life.  T didn't make the Rebelettes.  It's OK.  It's not the end of the world.  Life goes on. 

I can't tell if she's putting on a brave face or a fake face but it's gotten to the point where it's just too much.  No matter what it is, her's is the BEST.  It could be the smallest, stupidest thing.  But her's is the BEST.  Her kid's homeroom teacher is the BEST in the school, her Christmas cookies are the BEST, her condo during Spring Break was the BEST, her brand of lip balm is the BEST.  None of that really bugs me.  It is what it is.  What bugs me the most is she's becoming one of those mom's who makes excuses for her children.  She constantly covers for her kids.  I see it all the time with lacrosse and I really, really dislike that.  When her kids are unsuccessful at something, it's never their  fault.  It's the coaches (wait.  what?  I thought he was the BEST???), it's the teacher (wait.  what?  I thought she was the BEST???).  Her kids have made some dumb decisions and aren't perfect and it's slowly driving her insane.  I know there's a lot of tension with her sister-in-law (she claims her sister-in-law upstaged her engagement party by announcing she was pregnant.  This was almost 20 years ago, mind you) and there's a lot of competition between the two girl cousins who were born less than a year apart.  I'm trying to be a good friend but I'm getting very tired of this.  I'm ready to (Gasp!) unfriend her on FB. 

I think I'm becoming frustrated with her because I just want to pull a Cher a la Moonstruck, smack her upside the head and say, "Snap out of it!"  Somewhere, someone has made her feel inferior.  I want to tell her that she is good mom, a good wife, a good friend and that she doesn't need to pull this crap with me.  I want to tell her that I'd respect her more if she just knocked it off.  How do you tell someone you see through their BS and know that their life isn't perfect?