Getting in the Spirit

It's Christmas Eve, and the spirit hasn't quite struck me yet. I, like my brother, really don't celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday anymore (although yeah, "Jesus is the reason for the season," as the saying goes). I choose to celebrate my family, my friends, and the other blessings I have in my life. I enjoy getting together with my family, which in recent years has become both smaller in some aspects, and larger in others. Perhaps that's what makes the holidays difficult sometimes - the change, both good and bad, that comes with them in the passing years.

Mike and I have decided that instead of criss-crossing the state on major holidays, we will flip-flop holidays with our families each year. This year, Thanksgiving was spent with his side, and Christmas will be spent with mine. It's a good compromise, and I think it will work well, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss spending Thanksgiving Day at Ben and Alli's house with my parents, and my brother's in-laws. It was hard. It was a change. And today, although it's Christmas Eve and we will be spending the holiday with my family, it doesn't feel quite the same. Tomorrow Mike and I will head over to my mom and dad's house to spend some time with them and my uncle, and Ben and Alli will be coming to town on Friday to spend the weekend - and Mike will be back at work. It's the same, but it's not the same.

The following years will bring more change, if there's anything I'm sure of, I'm sure of that. Next year, we will have a nine-month old baby to share the holiday with (and who knows, we may be breaking our new tradition and criss-crossing the state anyway - I have a feeling neither side will want to miss "Baby's First Christmas").

Merry Chrismahanakwanzikah to everyone! Hopefully the spirit will strike me soon.