But the rest of Christmas was more traditional (for us, anyway). Big A was off Thanksgiving this year, so he's working over Christmas--this is the standard E.R. scheduling tradeoff. But the kids have learned to accommodate celebrations around his schedule over the years. I started to wake the kids up when A was on his way home from work after his night shift so when he got home and decompressed for a bit, we could go to cider, stockings, presents, and then Christmas pudding brunch, lazing around, snuggles, napping, movies, biriyani, and so on.
It kind of felt like the nicest Christmas in a few years. The kids have had a couple of rocky years recently, but we're on the other side of that now one way or the other. It's also our second year of Christmas without Scout--no one approaches his level of enthusiasm for Christmas, which will always be bittersweet.
I put LifeStraws in everyone's stockings including my own (during an anxiety-prone week is my guess). I'd wrapped everyone's presents long before I left for Greece. That was a while ago and I lowkey forgot some of the details, so I was nicely surprised as people opened their presents too. Ha. As for myself, my massage budget has been replenished, and I've been promised a trip to the Grand Canyon in October! I'd mentioned to Big A that I had poetry accepted to three anthologies this year and that I'd like to maybe get a book of poetry out into the world in the coming year--and I got a stack of autographed books of poetry including Mosab Abu Toha's for inspiration. That was the sweetest present.
Pic: Nu being a silly Christmas elf, and all of their siblings--Max, Huck, At--looking at them adoringly. There's a sliver of Big A still in scrubs in the corner and the clutter of opened and unopened presents all around them.
P.S. In the comments to yesterday's post, Nance used the term "sanitation worker." I'm not sure if it was intended as a gentle correction, but it worked as one. It immediately sounded like a more courteous term, and when I looked up how the relevant union refered to themselves, it seemed the term of choice. So it will be what I will use going forward. As the better Maya said, "Now that I know better, I [can] do better."
14 comments:
I am glad you had a wonderful Christmas together! It all sounds very festive and fun. But I am especially glad to hear that your kids are on the other side of some challenging stages.
I woke up not feeling well so did not have the best day. I am thinking I ate something that didn’t agree with me at the Christmas Eve party or something. I spent a good chunk of the day in bed. But the boys still had a great day. Last night I asked my oldest how he’d rate the holiday on a scale of 1 to 10 and he gave it a 10 so he still had a great holiday.
It sounds as if you had a lovely Christmas. Enjoy the rest of your break.
Congratulations, my friend and poet, on those three anthologized poems! I'm so happy and excited for you. I will happily buy your book when you publish it.
I grew up in a family closely aligned with city government. That's how I learned all the terminology for the various departments, unions, and jobs therein. Not a correction, just second nature vocabulary, but yes, now you know a better term.
I'm laughing at the *very valuable* Insider Info that your husband chose to impart on Christmas Day to The Children (even the furry ones). The Gift Of Knowledge is often the most dear. LOL
Sounds like a lovely cozy Christmas- and you got some amazing gifts! My husband is a musician- not quite the same thing as an ER doctor- but we're also used to working around his erratic/inconvenient schedule.
Glad you had such a nice day- and it just goes to show, rocky times don't last forever.
Lifestraws! I'm noting that down as a potential gift for my husband next year. My sister-in-law got her son and husband tactical pens for stocking stuffers this year and I think my husband was a little jealous!
You can't get a better score than 10/10 :)! Glad you're on the mend!
Thank you, StephLove!
Thank you for all of this, Nance... including the LOL... it made me think of that moment and laugh again.
Thanks, Jenny... I do wonder if 9-5-ers can see the adjustments families like us learn to make. Yes, it's a relief that rocky times don't last forever, and to know that we can get through them together <3
Ha! I need to know more about these tactical pens!
My husband worked in radio for years, sometimes as fill in, so he often had to work on holidays. We worked around it, but it's easier now that he's on a regular work schedule.
It was our second year without Mulder, too. It sucks.
It looks like a wonderful Christmas, and wow, congratulations on the poems! Not that I'm surprised.
Julie--I feel a lot of people don't get that some families celebrate around parents' work schedules. I know I didn't till I married A.
Gah on Mulder and Scout...
Thank you, you're very kind!!!
Nice
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