No existential angst this Christmas. Too busy. Too much baking. Two pies to go.
Christmas is different as a parent. I remember our first Christmas together as a married couple. The sound of sushi hitting the other side of the bathroom door after a fight over the lack of help bringing in the groceries. His wail of "You can keep your sushi!" before he left the apartment for awhile to go see a movie. Ah, the nostalgic haze that surrounds the early years of marriage; I smile as I think of the orange florescent glow of the Denny's where we ate Christmas dinner one year.
Lack of planning, that was our dilemma. And a complete inability to remain calm in the face of holiday stress. And a tendency to blame each other for said stress. If only s/he would do Christmas right! we probably thought.
These days, we work together in the chain gang that is parenthood during the holiday season. Well, chain gang interspersed with moments of sheer magic and snuggling and sleepers with feet. Together we create a magical Christmas with our most astonishing trick being to make our disagreements disappear! "Little ears." we murmur to each other, our desire to have low therapy bills for our offspring overshadowing the need to set the other person straight about a few things.
And so... may the glow of this holiday season give us all the strength to refrain from telling those we love the truth about themselves.
Merry Belated and Beleaguered Christmas to all, and to all a somewhat restful night now that it's over.
