This holiday season had a lot of unknowns and big expectations for our little family unit. My daughter, Perla, and I had welcomed my girlfriend and her son into our lives and our home this year, and all of the stress that it brings culminated in December.
Families on both sides weren't sure when they would have their Christmas parties, which is actually pretty normal despite the chaotic tension it delivered early on. We felt in the dark for much of it - so much so that we debated hosting Christmas ourselves (we didn't, thank goodness).
What we ended with was four parties in three days - in Monroe, Lake Mills and Mineral Point. Everyone in our clan met family members on each side we'd never seen before. My brother and sister-in-law were back from New York with their dogs; Gabe - the son of my girlfriend, Courtney - got to meet my new niece; and Perla and I met so many of Courtney's family that I was finally able to start putting the pieces together.
Togetherness - that's what the holiday season can do for us. It brings us together. Whether the drive is an hour through backroads and snow or across the Appalachians and Ohio Turnpike, we all hedge our bets on the tires of our cars so that we can spend two, three, or maybe four hours with each other, everyone together, once a year.
I saw more smiles this Christmas than I can ever recall. On Courtney's side, one of her family members had taken in a preteen niece whose family is going through a very hard time. She said over and over that this was by far the best Christmas she'd ever had. Gabe echoed those thoughts yesterday morning when opening Santa's gifts - Santa definitely got Gabe's letter we ran here in the Times, because it was exactly as he wanted it.
Seeing so many happy faces together melted my heart. I felt myself actually mimicking the Grinch - disliking Christmas (or, more accurately, just the presence of Jack Frost and the constant playing of Christmas music) before smiling ear to ear in delight. And that was before my parents happened upon a pair of briefs featuring the image of the statue of David I bought in Florence, Italy, as a teenager and had been missing since 2003.
The food, the people, the presents and presence of all - this is what the Spirit of Christmas means to me in its truest form. I'm not religious, so Christmas (or the holidays, if the hilariously made-up war is ever won) is about family to me. It's about thanking those who have made not only our year brighter, but our lives. It's about cherishing each other and whatever time we have together - all together - in one fell swoop. And lastly, it's about the children. Won't somebody please think of the children!
I stink at wrapping presents. If wrapping presents were a professional sport, I wouldn't be allowed to tour the tape factory, let alone touch any of the materials. But here I was, joyously wrapping something like 11,783 gifts this past week with a smile on my face. And to see the smiles on the faces of all the kids - both own and from extended family's others - was the biggest joy of all. This season - from the lights, the songs, the Santa movies and parades and candy canes and presents and the snow - is about the kids. It's about bringing joy to their lives. Whether their life is already bright and beautiful or they are being taken in out of necessity, the spirit of the season knows no boundaries.
And that is a season I can get behind.
That, and I got the best surprise Christmas present I have ever received. I'll explain later.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times. His column usually prints on Mondays in the Times and Saturdays in the Whoville Beacon. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
Families on both sides weren't sure when they would have their Christmas parties, which is actually pretty normal despite the chaotic tension it delivered early on. We felt in the dark for much of it - so much so that we debated hosting Christmas ourselves (we didn't, thank goodness).
What we ended with was four parties in three days - in Monroe, Lake Mills and Mineral Point. Everyone in our clan met family members on each side we'd never seen before. My brother and sister-in-law were back from New York with their dogs; Gabe - the son of my girlfriend, Courtney - got to meet my new niece; and Perla and I met so many of Courtney's family that I was finally able to start putting the pieces together.
Togetherness - that's what the holiday season can do for us. It brings us together. Whether the drive is an hour through backroads and snow or across the Appalachians and Ohio Turnpike, we all hedge our bets on the tires of our cars so that we can spend two, three, or maybe four hours with each other, everyone together, once a year.
I saw more smiles this Christmas than I can ever recall. On Courtney's side, one of her family members had taken in a preteen niece whose family is going through a very hard time. She said over and over that this was by far the best Christmas she'd ever had. Gabe echoed those thoughts yesterday morning when opening Santa's gifts - Santa definitely got Gabe's letter we ran here in the Times, because it was exactly as he wanted it.
Seeing so many happy faces together melted my heart. I felt myself actually mimicking the Grinch - disliking Christmas (or, more accurately, just the presence of Jack Frost and the constant playing of Christmas music) before smiling ear to ear in delight. And that was before my parents happened upon a pair of briefs featuring the image of the statue of David I bought in Florence, Italy, as a teenager and had been missing since 2003.
The food, the people, the presents and presence of all - this is what the Spirit of Christmas means to me in its truest form. I'm not religious, so Christmas (or the holidays, if the hilariously made-up war is ever won) is about family to me. It's about thanking those who have made not only our year brighter, but our lives. It's about cherishing each other and whatever time we have together - all together - in one fell swoop. And lastly, it's about the children. Won't somebody please think of the children!
I stink at wrapping presents. If wrapping presents were a professional sport, I wouldn't be allowed to tour the tape factory, let alone touch any of the materials. But here I was, joyously wrapping something like 11,783 gifts this past week with a smile on my face. And to see the smiles on the faces of all the kids - both own and from extended family's others - was the biggest joy of all. This season - from the lights, the songs, the Santa movies and parades and candy canes and presents and the snow - is about the kids. It's about bringing joy to their lives. Whether their life is already bright and beautiful or they are being taken in out of necessity, the spirit of the season knows no boundaries.
And that is a season I can get behind.
That, and I got the best surprise Christmas present I have ever received. I'll explain later.
- Adam Krebs is a reporter for the Monroe Times. His column usually prints on Mondays in the Times and Saturdays in the Whoville Beacon. He can be reached at akrebs@themonroetimes.net.
