Relief.

I have an apartment I love, but it is hard to heat; it's old and drafty. I've learned to make do and keep my heating costs as reasonable as I can. That is, I wear layers, the bed is loaded with blankets, and I use a space heater in my bedroom at night instead of leaving the heat on. Use of the heat is reserved for three occasions: when I shower and dress, when I first get home from work and need to knock the chill off before changing into my PJs, and when I have company.

And I was expected to have company in January: my parents. Now, I don't want to sound like I don't love my parents, but it stresses me out when they both visit. And winter is the worst. My parents are liberal with their use of their heating at home. On the few occasions they've visited me during the winter, I've struggled to keep them warm without hurting my budget in the process. Which is hard, since my mother doesn't like the weight of extra blankets and believes one should be able to wear short sleeves around the house in the middle of January.

And then there are the groceries I'd have to stock to make their visit a comfortable one. It's not like I'd have to get that much, but certainly I'd have to get things I don't normally buy.

I live outside Washington, D.C., and in talking about the inauguration, my mother said, "I'd give anything to go." I had virtually no choice but to say, "Well, why don't you two come up?" Excitement ensued, plans were made.

I started thinking, Do I need another space heater for the living room? How am I going to keep that bedroom warm enough that she won't complain?

While I tried to focus on witnessing such an amazing part of history with my parents, I started freaking out. The logistics of dragging along my 70-year-old father -- with his noticeable limp -- through the millions of people who will be here started to overwhelm me. And then there's my mom. Sure, she could keep up, but she has problems with ... patience. The last time she and I went to NYC, it was during December, and there were so many people around Rockefeller Center that we swore we'd never go again that time of year. And that crowd is nothing compared to what will be in the nation's capital on January 20.

But recently a friend of my mom's who works in the press told her that the best place to watch is at home on TV. The more we thought about it, the more appealing that idea became. I mean, at least a couple million will be downtown. They're saying there will be one toilet per 6,849 people -- and that's assuming only 1 million people.

So they're not coming. The second she told me they were staying home, a weight lifted off my shoulders and my bank account breathed a sigh of relief.