This year we had our holidays (Chanukkah & Christmas) at two homes. Mine and Jen’s. It was a new and different holiday experience for everyone.
There is no clear cut rule book for any of this. When you both have “kids” aka a mix of teenagers and emerging adults, there can be many twists and turns as you bring all of them together (plus two dogs) under one roof for the first time.
Jen was absolutely wonderful and welcoming to my daughter and me. And all the “kids” seemed to get along.
Unlike Clark Griswold in a Christmas Vacation, I am happy to say that at no time did I get locked in the attic or, staple my shirt to a gutter.
However, a holiday wouldn’t be complete without a last-minute rush to replace something broken (a Christmas tree) or, an emergency home repair. Would it? Probably not.
Sure, these things can fluster or frustrate anyone. And I am sure there are many families this year that experienced something like this or perhaps worse.
I think for me, one of the good things about this holiday season was being able to spend time together. And it was a preview of sorts of how things might work in the future. I am thankful for all of this and the health of everyone.
It’s been an amazing, wonderful season. Sure, we’re tired. In the end, it was worth it when one of the kids mentioned to me that it had been, “a relaxing holiday”.