Judy. I have to admit, it’s a strange Christmas season. Granted, for
the past few years, we’ve celebrated Christmas Day together or with other
“orphaned parents,” as our kids—rightfully—celebrate on their own or with
in-laws. The day itself has not been as important as the fact that we DO gather
at some point to eat and open gifts. But this year the kids’ work schedules are
such that we celebrate with one family one day, and the other, the next. Don’t
get me wrong—I’ll take what I can get—it’s just one more new experience.
Add to that, with
no house of our own, there are no decorations. We left our Airbnb a week ago,
and are house sitting for friends who are in Florida. We did get a big (for
Atlanta) snow, unheard of in early December, but it’s long gone. For someone to whom Christmas morning has always been magic, the change has been, well, different.
As with so many of
our new experiences, though, there are gifts that have come our way. Most
notably, I truly have time to enjoy Advent, my favorite church season. Gifts,
such as they are (we prefer to give experiences), were bought long ago, and
there are no decorations to dig out and hang. We’ve been able to avoid the horrible
traffic most of the time. Our days are spent reading, walking, visiting friends,
and enjoying our lives. Staying with friends in the mountains, we went to a Christmas pageant at a nearby church. We attended a magnificent Advent Lessons and Carols,
and I’m reading Kathleen Norris’s book, Amazing
Grace. The period of waiting is aided by the gloomy skies, and I find a
strange comfort in that. New life is coming.
I look forward to
the separate celebrations with my family, and to a Christmas visit with my
brother and sister-in-law for a few days. We used to see each other every
Christmas, but life has made that far too difficult in the past few years. Yes,
it’s different, and really quite lovely—a gift of new experiences.
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