The Christmas That Didn't Go To Plan
Like much of the country and in true Canadian fashion, we are storm-stayed after a blizzard. Our home is buried under a deep blanket of snow and I am buried and cozy under a pile of blankets. As peaceful as this all sounds, for many this feels like a cruel joke by Mother Nature. Friends and family have expressed their heartache and disappointment over cancelled dinners and celebrations. This Christmas held so much promise to feel how holidays used to before the world was turned upside down by a pandemic. Ironically I have avoided contracting Covid-19 for almost three years until lo and behold the week of Christmas, I came finally down with the plague lol! At this point I figure I have two options: to be frustrated or flexible.
As a mother, I know I play a key role in setting the tone of my household. While this certainly was not in the plans and the inconvenient timing is annoying, I am striving to bring a festive spirit, normalcy and levity to the situation. Granted in the grand scheme of things, one holiday gone awry isn’t a huge deal as many are facing truly difficult circumstances, but I think even on a micro-level this serves as a good reminder to process unwanted emotions in a healthy and productive manner. I am trying to model how to navigate disappointment. It’s a part of life. It’s valid. And yes, it stinks. Ultimately it’s how we choose to handle that disappointment which makes or breaks us. I can camp out and wallow in defeat. Or I can accept it, take responsibility and make an intentional choice to make the best of things. Unlike toxic positivity where negative emotions are swept unsuccessfully under the rug, resilience acknowledges the real, the hard, the messy, but nevertheless still seeks to find the beauty.
This is where flexibility comes in. If I have a rigid outlook, I will almost always find myself frustrated. Rarely does everything go according to our script. However; if I have a flexible attitude, I can remain hopeful and not get so bogged down by all the little things. We have family, our health God-willing [minus the plague haha], provision, love, and most importantly a Saviour who came down to earth to the most humble of beginnings. Imagine how flexible Mary had to be- she bore the ultimate surprise baby, travelled heavily pregnant by donkey and delivered in a stable!
I may be very Type-A and not naturally easy-going. However; by learning to go with the flow, letting go of the things I can’t control and focusing on what I can, I experience calmness and peace. As I am writing this, I overheard my daughter refuse to eat dinner which is highly unlike her. My mother’s intuition told me to to test her and unfortunately she is now positive too. This means we will miss extended family celebrations, traditions and all the bells and whistles that come along with it, but we will still have meaningful moments. We will wake up on Christmas morning and prepare hot, fresh coffee and warm up the cinnamon buns like we do every year. We will put candles in them once they are ready to eat and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. We will read the Christmas story followed by opening stockings and gifts. We will eat way too many Christmas cookies in a candlelit room as we watch Christmas movies. The next day, Justin will head to the grocery store so I can make an impromptu Christmas feast for my little party of five. We will aim to keep things as normal as possible for the kids’ sake. We will laugh, play board games and make memories. We will celebrate with our extended families in the new year. We will still have a Saviour’s birth to celebrate. Covid may have changed our plans, but it didn’t cancel them.
2022 will go down as a weird yet unforgettable holiday. From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.
A Little Christmas Eve Story
Noelle was too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve. Even a pesky virus couldn’t quell her joy. When I heard her tiptoe out of her bedroom yet again and ask her Daddy, “Is it morning yet?”, I hatched a plan. I decided to call him, asked him to put me on speakerphone and pretended to be Santa inquiring if all children in the household were asleep. Little Miss bolted to her room as Justin fittingly described her as having a deer in the headlights expression!
“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring; not even a mouse... [except Noelle who IS most definitely stirring] 👀”
I used my lowest, husky voice [thanks to the plague] and added lots of “Ho Ho Ho’s” plus gave some verbal commands to the reindeer to make it as realistic as possible, but I just overhead her say, "Santa sounds more like a girl than I thought he would."
Thankfully she fell for it and I didn't burst her bubble at the age of 4. Although I am sure she is now more confused then ever. But she's sleeping so I'll take it! Kyler gets an honourable mention who came down once with his backpack and homemade paper telescope in hand hoping to get a Santa sighting.
