2020 has given new meaning to the song or phrase “I’ll be Home for Christmas”. We’ll all be ‘home’ for Christmas this year. This means something different for each of us. For some, home is a location. For others, it’s a person or persons. And for still others, it’s a certain set of circumstances. For me, home is being with my people. I remember the year that Lexie did not come home from London for Christmas. It was horrible. I had a very hard time being ‘merry’. But we survived and lived to celebrate other ‘in-person’ Christmases. Then there was the year that Mike drove to Vancouver on Saturday and picked up both kids and drove home on Sunday to get them here in time for Christmas. (Lexie was moving back home so she could not bring all her belongings on the plane). I felt like my whole world was in that rented van and it had better get here in one piece. And it did. Made my Christmas.
Last year I was at home, along with most of my immediate family – my mom, my siblings and their families, as they all gathered in Calgary for a family Christmas. They flew in from all parts of the globe. We knew at the time that this particular scenario might never happen again and not for the reasons we now know. With an 88 year old mother and many coming from overseas we just knew this was a ‘moment in time’. In retrospect, God blessed us abundantly by letting our 2019 Christmas all come together. We all stayed together in the same house. We were free to sit and linger in Chapters/Starbucks. Free to drive out to the mountains and walk through the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise. Free to eat out. Free to go to the movies. Free to congregate at the mall and finish our last minute shopping. Free to skate or ski. Free to go to Christmas Markets. Free to go to Christmas Eve service at church. Free to go to Christmas concerts. Free to eat Christmas dinner together. Free to act out the Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve. Free to borrow a friends house for extra space. Free to fly for non- essential reasons. Free to host and go to Christmas parties. But that was then and this is now.
I was always planning on having a low key Christmas this year after the hullabaloo of last year. Well an exhausting hallabaloo for me – the event planner. Somebody had to do it. Somebody that lived in Calgary and since my mom had shirked her duties and flitted off to Australia until December 20th – it all fell on my shoulders. Not that I don’t love to plan a good event. But I digress. I was planning on having a quiet low key Christmas this year. However, I was planning on having it in Toronto or Vancouver. But ce la vie, it shall be in Calgary – again. There are worse places to Christmas. As providence would have it, both of our adult children are part of our household for the time being, so we shall all be together for Christmas. Which is a blessing to be grateful for since I know it is not like that for others. SO we will do our usual Christmas thing. Eat our Christmas food. Follow our entrenched family traditions and basically just enjoy each other’s company in our red plaid flannel pajamas. We will watch movies. Make puzzles. Eat junk. We even have a modest amount of gifts to give and receive. We’ll stay out of the malls and have wiener roasts in the backyard around the firepit. And we’ll love every minute of it.
Being ‘home’ for Christmas seems to be the epitome of the grandest of Christmases. One of my favorite Christmas songs as of late is Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home for Christmas’. It stirs up all the sentiments. However, I DO sympathize with those that will not be able to get together in someone’s ‘home’ with their next of kin. If my adult children didn’t live at home, I’d probably be sitting in the garage with the car running and the door closed. It just doesn’t seem right. And yet, maybe there are things to embrace about a slower paced and quieter Christmas. Maybe we can spend more time remembering Emmanuel. God with Us. We are never alone because God is always with us and maybe for this Christmas we could invite Him to be our guest. To occupy the empty chairs around the Christmas table. Maybe this is an opportunity to release excess and embrace enough. Maybe we can spend more time reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas instead of running around like maniacs trying to please everyone. Maybe we can just walk the dog instead of ‘putting on the dog’. And for those of you looking for an excuse not to get together with the whole fam damily…here it is. Take advantage. Sometimes family dynamics are difficult and trying and this year you are off the hook.
And yes, there will those that will be alone for Christmas. This has been a tragedy for as long as Christmas has been a thing. It’s ‘still a problem’. Probably more so this year. And in past years many saints have tried to make Christmas’s more joyful for those who are alone and this year is no exception. Be creative. Help a shut in. Or even your own parents, especially if you are not seeing the whites of their eyes this Christmas. We can still drop things off on doorsteps. We can still send letters and cards. There is UPS and FedEx. We can even ZOOM and facetime. We can call – yes those smart phones we have in our pockets ARE communication devices. (I sometimes forget I can use it to place a call. ) And some of you still have prehistoric land lines. Use them. What’s ironic is that we could be considered among those senior shut ins were it not for having adult kids living at home. Many of my friends will not get to see their children in person this Christmas.
I am looking forward to a quieter Christmas this year. And I don’t mind being at home. All the while, being very aware I am in blessed circumstances. And don’t forget…the calendar says Christmas is on December 25th but we can have it or make it on any day we want. Middle of July – we can celebrate Christmas. The minute we can see each other again. We can plan and have Christmas. I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.
The Red Plaid Apron 