Christmas Flexibility

This is the year for going with the flow, no matter where that river is taking you. We stayed home and had Thanksgiving via Zoom with Carter in Boston and my Parents alone at the farm. It wasn’t so bad. We had a good time visiting and talking on the computer and then we each ate the thanksgiving dinner we had at our own homes. The good news was we were safe, distanced and healthy.

Now comes Christmas. Carter did come home. She had back to back Covid tests the day before she came home and the the day she flew, then tested again three days after getting home. We have been spending a lot of family time, with Carter doing her job with me close by not doing much, but together.

Our normal tradition is to have Christmas Eve with our dear friends the Toms and then go to church together after between dinner and dessert. We sing silent night and raise our candles above our heads and I am usually brought to tears by the beauty of the whole thing. On Christmas day my family usually comes here for presents and lunch.

This year we are flexible. Tonight the Toms came over and sat on our terrace while we exchanged presents and sat socially distanced, only pulling down our masks to take a sip of our spiked hot cider. We did it tonight because it is going to pour down rain all day tomorrow. We will “watch” church at our own houses after we eat our own dinners, but Lynn and I should be in the candle portion of the video as we went to church earlier in the month to film that for silent night.

We had planned on going up to the farm on Christmas Day to see my family for two hours on the porch with our masks on, no meal, just visiting. Now it is going to be too cold. We are not going to do that since I know people don’t want to sit on the porch when it is freezing. Hopefully another day next week is warmer and we will go then.

I would rather be flexible this year and be safe. It is not the end of the world to not eat together with people other than our tiny living pod. It is not the end of the world to not exchange presents on Christmas Day. It would be the end of the world to lose one of our loved ones to a virus we could prevent if we are smart and don’t foolishly do something unnecessary.

This is the go with the flow Christmas. I know it will make us appreciate future Christmases. So much better to be thankful for what we have then think about what we cannot have. Merry Christmas to all.