It had been a strange sort of experience meeting up with all those people over Christmas. Some I'd known for a long time. Others, I'd met right then and there. I'd felt like it was important to maintain certain relationships, for various reasons.
I think I'd wanted to find some additional justification for having to tolerate spending so much time in the company of others. With my sister, I'd managed to talk to her about her work and learn a thing or two about it. Playing pool with her and Ronan had been fun. There were a few other chats that might prove useful in future. Beyond that though, the whole thing had been a drag. A series of hoops that I'd had to jump through because doing so was easier than the potential consequences of deciding not to. At least that's how it had felt.
I tried to imagine what the week might have been like had I designed it myself. A carefully selected bunch of people, none of whom I knew in reality but many of whom I'd gotten to know very well in some fantasy and liked very much. An environment other than any that I knew. Incredibly useful and fun discussions that seeped out of existing meaningful affairs in which I and the people I'd met were involved. Unexpected discoveries and laughs. Magical trips to unforgettable places.
Maybe next year I'd stay at home and watch a Disney film.
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