Our Unusual, But Still Just Fine Christmas

Hello reader!

How was your holiday? Different? Boring? Magical? Unusual? All of the above?

We originally had plans to travel to New York for Christmas to spend it with our entire family for the first time since I was in high school (along the way, many other firsts would have occurred: PJ’s first time seeing where I spent every Christmas of my childhood, our kids’ first time staying in a hotel room, and the longest road trip we would have ever taken as a family!), but we all decided it was safer to stay home than be together this year. It was a sad, but necessary choice we all made as a family.

Instead of traveling, we spent our first official Christmas as a family at home, just as we have for the last three years.

And you know what? It was just fine.

After accepting the fact that we wouldn’t all be together this year (my sister-in-law tested positive for covid- luckily she’s okay), it was actually kind of fun to think about just relaxing and doing absolutely nothing for a few days at home. Unfortunately, though we did spend Christmas at home, we didn’t get to exactly relax and do absolutely nothing for a few days, because there were still presents to be wrapped and clothes to be folded and an entire house filled with bathrooms to be cleaned, but we did our best to squeeze in a little bit of down time.

Even though we weren’t all going to be together, my mom and younger sister and her girlfriend came over Christmas Eve and spent the night, so I spent the day before getting everything cleaned and comfortable for them. We usually do Christmas at our house since it’s equal parts nostalgic (I grew up in our home so in some ways it feels like we’re all kids again) and, because of the kids, just plain easier to stay put.

So they came over and it was fun! The kids wore their matching pajamas, left milk and cookies out for Santa on a plate and mug that came from a sweet subscriber (thank you so much!!!), and I made Christmas Fettuccine a la “The Holiday”, which is one of the best Christmas movies ever and I won’t hear anything else.

We drank wine and ate yummy food and after the kids went to bed, we all stayed up and wrapped presents, and it was one of those moments where the fact that we are parents is something I constantly get excited about with every new experience we make. What I mean is, I distinctly remember being a kid and opening my eyes and seeing all of my aunts and uncles wrapping everyone’s presents on Christmas Eve, when we were all supposed to be asleep, and now being on the other side of that is like a weird full-circle moment in a way. It’s hard to explain, but it was a very fun night for that reason alone.

On Christmas morning, we FaceTimed my older sister and her family in Georgia and my brother and his wife in Chattanooga, and the kids’ aunt and grandma. After a delicious breakfast cooked by my sister’s girlfriend (cinnamon pumpkin French toast), we all hopped in the car and drove to PJ’s aunt’s house for a Christmas lunch with his family. I always love when my family and his family get together. Both of our worlds combine to form one big crazy family and every time it happens I do my best to take it in (and not take it for granted) and be thankful they all get along so well and actually enjoy each other’s company.

We made a quick trip to the farm and then headed home to wind down for the night. After everyone was in bed, my mom came over to get the rest of the her things from the night before and we sat on the couch, just the two of us, and talked. And it was so nice. I can’t remember the last time it was just the two of us where we had an opportunity to relax and talk about everything and nothing. By the time it was late and she had to go, I didn’t want her to leave.

Which brings us to today. I told myself, again, that I would finally plop myself on the couch and read the new book I bought myself for Christmas. I had plans. I was excited.

But alas, there were things to be done around the house that I decided to do instead. I did, however, re-do the frame wall in our office and that felt good. Less like work and more like something creative and fun. We’re still in holiday vacation mode, so I am giving myself a few more days to relax and take it easy before diving back in to work.

At the end of the day, the biggest thing that made our Christmas unusual was simply that we, like so many other people the last two years, didn’t spend it all together as a family. I missed my brother and my older sister and her family, and my aunts and uncles and cousins. I think I was craving seeing them more than ever after everything that’s happened over the last couple of years. I am hoping for better results next year.

And better weather.

It was almost 70 (!) degrees here in Tennessee on Christmas Day, so that, combined with us not being able to see our whole family, made for, again, an unusual (but still just fine) Christmas.

Happy holidays, dear reader. Thank you so much for being here. xoxo

PS: click here to watch our new Vino & Vent, where we discuss Christmas (and more), and stay tuned for this Sunday’s vlog where you can see all of the action in video form.