As is tradition in our family, we are almost all safely settled in our home away from home. Christmas can't come soon enough when we are all here.
Years ago we decided that we needed to slow down a bit when it came to the holidays. For years we had been going to multiple homes on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and we never really were able to connect with just the four of us. When our boys had short Christmas vacations, we took the opportunity to make it family time - typically 10 or 11 days out of the city, and away from the stresses that often come with work and the holidays. When our boys moved to college and they had full months off, it's still been a time to reconnect, doing the things we want to do.
Don't get me wrong. Our families mean a lot to us, and we know that we had upset many people when we decided to go away. But on one side of our family, we see people relatively often. On the other, it's pretty broken and Christmas just proved to be a pretty upsetting day. I understand we miss out on time with grandparents, and brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews, but we gained so much more. We gained our sanity back. We gained time where we could reconnect as a family and focus on us. Is that selfish? Maybe. But I won't apologize for wanting to spend time with my family. I know that as the boys get older and they are out on their own, our lives will change once again and there will be fewer family vacations, hopefully to be replaced with a full house once again.
On any given year, I cook when I want to, and we go out when I don't. We visit friends at their restaurants and stop by and say hi to others. We go to the movies where we are greeted with a dozen or so other people that want some time away too. We gorge on Netflix and Redbox and Christmas movies galore. We take naps and play with our dogs, and sometimes go shopping. And of course, we ride our snowmobiles. Although you might think that isn't really connecting as a family, since we all ride our own, it really is. We are doing something we love to do. Dad takes the lead, and sometimes gives up the reigns to one of the boys. The boys love racing each other across the lakes. And I'm usually armed with my Canon taking in nature, and capturing all of them doing what they love to do. Some years, we have others here and they ride too.
As a family we really need this time away. This year started out slow with a job that was so dysfunctional, I never thought I'd find something better. Thankfully, May brought me a new job (which I truly love), August gave me a surgery that was much needed for my health, and now here at Christmas, we are in the place that really connects us. My husband has traveled a lot this year for his job, which was unexpected, and filled his time, and unfortunately a slow down for his business. Our oldest finished the grad school classes he needs before his student teaching in spring (middle school art!), and our youngest finished his third year of college football and his fifth semester of undergrad (chem/bio and forensics!).
Our time away this year is proving to be a little slower. The snow isn't cooperating, so do what you can and pray to the snow Gods for us. We'll still see movies and go out for good meals and we'll head to Bond Falls and hopefully get a chance to see some beautiful waterfalls and more wildlife. And with any luck, any luck at all, we will ride.
My wish for you all is you get to do what you love to do this time of year. If that means sleepless nights for a week to get ready for a house full of people, I wish you good luck. If that means watching a Christmas Story twelve times in a row, while you eat Chinese by yourself, have a great time. If it means you fill up on Christmas cookies you made for yourself and no one else, You Do You! And if it means you go away, just like we do, know that we are rooting for you even if your family doesn't understand.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings, Happy New Year and the Best Festivus for the Rest of Us.
