Christmas Adam

Growing up we referred to December 23 as Christmas Adam, since Adam was created before Eve. Almost every year over the past eight years we have spent part of Christmas Day at Paul's parent's house and then drove down to Maryland and spent the next few days with my parents. Wendy and her family usually arrived in Maryland late in the evening on Christmas Day. I remember in 2009 we didn't travel for Christmas because Ian had just been released from the NICU. We have usually had our family gift exchange on the morning of Christmas Eve. We have typically done it in the morning so the kids would have a day to enjoy their new things before we left for a few days. The opening gift part of Christmas usually takes place on three days - Christmas Eve at our house, Christmas Day at Paul's parents' house, and December 26 at my parents' house.

This year we are doing things differently in part because my sisters and I thought it would be emotionally a little easier if we celebrated in a different location than usual. Yvonne and her family don't come back every year for Christmas, and they certainly aren't coming this year since they already spent 9 weeks in the US this summer. Maurice has been back in Maryland for two weeks. He's a graduate student in Texas. The plan this year was for Maurice and my Dad to drive up tomorrow around dinner time. They would have dinner with us and then go to the 7:00 Candlelight service at our church. Wendy's family was thinking they'd arrive sometime after 9:00 pm. We were thinking of celebrating with Paul's family on December 28, after my extended family had left our home. For the past 10 years Paul had about one month off (mid December to mid January). He would do some work during that time, but he would do it at home and not need to go to the university. Working for the family business means he doesn't even get Christmas Eve off even though it falls on a Saturday. He is going to come home earlier than usual though. Nadia and Ian remembered that we usually opened our gifts in the morning, but they took it pretty well when I told them it would be after lunch this year.

I started cooking today by making beef stew for tomorrow's dinner, baking an apple pie, and making the sweet potatoes for our Christmas dinner. We have been planning to eat our dinner after church on Sunday. I think I have purchased everything I need for the meals on Sunday. I am planning to make eggnog French toast for a special breakfast on Christmas morning. I feel like I am attempting to fill very big shoes because my mom was a very thoughtful hostess. She knew what kind of cereals the kids liked to eat, what kind of soda Paul likes to drink, etc. I tried to scratch my memory to buy a few things that my extended family would like, but I'm sure I have forgotten something my mom would have remembered. I picked the beef stew knowing my dad and brother enjoy that. I got a lemon meringue pie as one of the three pies for Christmas Day because I remembered that Susie likes lemon desserts. I got two kinds of crackers for my Dad and graham crackers for Drayton. I got a gallon of 2% milk for others (we usually only have skim milk). I bought several pillows this summer, and we will be putting those to good use. My mom got us three air mattresses for Christmas in 2014, and we will be putting those to good use as well as there will be thirteen of us staying here, and we only have enough beds/sofa beds to accommodate nine people.

I know this first Christmas without my mom will be a bit of a landmine emotionally. There are so many Christmas traditions I associate with my mom. She was a very thoughtful and generous when it came to our Christmas gifts. For the last 35 years we went Christmas caroling at several houses near my parents' house and in addition to singing delivered either a plate of Christmas cookies or a loaf of pumpkin cranberry bread. My mom always made a white cake with white icing, and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus before eating that cake. Hopefully my family won't mind that I didn't make a cake. I just couldn't bring myself to do it this year. I have three different kinds of pie and four different kinds of cookies instead. While we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, my mom is in His glorious presence. I struggled emotionally the day we decorated our house for Christmas, but then I've been doing well since then until today. Today was another day I felt like crying many times throughout the day at the thought of celebrating my first Christmas without my mom.