Christmas is, hands down, my favorite season of the year. Maybe its because I spent 30 of my Christmases finding my name on everything from wrapping paper, to stocking holders, to red and green pasta. There is a whole song written about me - as I am the first and Jude is the 2nd Noel kid! If I could, I would put the tree up on Thankgiving and leave it up well into the new year! I am slightly embarassed to say that I turn the tree lights on when I am getting ready for work in the morning and love to fall asleep on the couch at night staring at the tree.
I am also proud of the fact that I turned Mike on to Christmas. Before I met him, he worked most Christmas Eve's and Christmas days, so he spent many of the holidays in hotel rooms around the world, or at the Matzo Ball at a bar in DC with the Jews. In 2007, after dating for 11 months, he saw a side of me that he had not yet seen before - Christmas crazy alex! That's also the year that we began several of our Holiday traditions - putting up the tree the night after my work chrismtas party, going to the Nutracker (he freaked the first time he realized there were no words!), spending a few days at my parent's house along with Jude and Abby, and the LOVEFEAST! For the past 4 years, we have built on these traditions and solidified them as part of our life.
This year, however, it really doesn't seem like Christmas. There is one huge void - I do not get to spend the season with my favorite person. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for. Unlike many people (my sister in law included), he is not in Afghanistan nor Iraq, I get to see him (almost) every weekend, and for the first time in 5 years, I get to experience NYC with Christmas lights! But its still not the same - no Nutcracker, no Christmas together with my parents (he has to work so will be staying in Queens), and no lovefeast where I can see Mike actually follow along and sing the songs, which he would never do under any other circumstance. Between my new semi-life in Queens, Joe Paterno, the changes at Christmas, and the bowl games being played on Jan 2 - my whole life has been rocked!
I do hope, however, that by next Christmas things are back to "normal", although, with us, what exactly is normal?!?!?! Every day is a new adventure, and if you would have told me a year ago that all of these changes would have taken place throughout 2011, I would have called you crazy. But I am thankful that we, along with our families, are healthy and happy for 2011, and we'll enjoy the season, despite the differences from the 'norm'. Hopefully in 2012, Santa will bring me my traditional Christmas again. Until then, I will continue to count life's blessings and live, happily, one day at a time.
Joyeux Noel! Wishing you all (all 3 of you who read my blog) a great Holiday season and a happy and healthy 2012!
I am also proud of the fact that I turned Mike on to Christmas. Before I met him, he worked most Christmas Eve's and Christmas days, so he spent many of the holidays in hotel rooms around the world, or at the Matzo Ball at a bar in DC with the Jews. In 2007, after dating for 11 months, he saw a side of me that he had not yet seen before - Christmas crazy alex! That's also the year that we began several of our Holiday traditions - putting up the tree the night after my work chrismtas party, going to the Nutracker (he freaked the first time he realized there were no words!), spending a few days at my parent's house along with Jude and Abby, and the LOVEFEAST! For the past 4 years, we have built on these traditions and solidified them as part of our life.
This year, however, it really doesn't seem like Christmas. There is one huge void - I do not get to spend the season with my favorite person. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for. Unlike many people (my sister in law included), he is not in Afghanistan nor Iraq, I get to see him (almost) every weekend, and for the first time in 5 years, I get to experience NYC with Christmas lights! But its still not the same - no Nutcracker, no Christmas together with my parents (he has to work so will be staying in Queens), and no lovefeast where I can see Mike actually follow along and sing the songs, which he would never do under any other circumstance. Between my new semi-life in Queens, Joe Paterno, the changes at Christmas, and the bowl games being played on Jan 2 - my whole life has been rocked!
I do hope, however, that by next Christmas things are back to "normal", although, with us, what exactly is normal?!?!?! Every day is a new adventure, and if you would have told me a year ago that all of these changes would have taken place throughout 2011, I would have called you crazy. But I am thankful that we, along with our families, are healthy and happy for 2011, and we'll enjoy the season, despite the differences from the 'norm'. Hopefully in 2012, Santa will bring me my traditional Christmas again. Until then, I will continue to count life's blessings and live, happily, one day at a time.
Joyeux Noel! Wishing you all (all 3 of you who read my blog) a great Holiday season and a happy and healthy 2012!
