What a weird but enjoyable weekend I had. Saturday morning, my mom called telling me she and my dad plan on driving to Texas this upcoming Friday to spend time with my grandma before she passes away. My grandma isn’t doing well and my mom needs to be with her. So my parents wanted to know if I could celebrate Christmas with them and the family this weekend instead of on Christmas. I agreed, and then realized my car is still in the shop so how was I going to get there? My dad volunteered to drive me to and from Colorado Springs twice in one day so I could spend Christmas with my family. So I said yes. How could I not?
So Saturday was Christmas. My mom, always the planner, had already purchased and wrapped presents and the house had just been decorated so everything worked out really well. I felt such joy getting to see and spend time with my family. It had been too long. Both Emmy and Ollie still remembered me though, and that made me feel great. Ollie kept saying, “Hi, Noonie,” to me and smiling. Both of them sat on my lap for a bit throughout the day and made me feel so loved. I know we were all there for a sad reason but I really did enjoy myself and I soaked up my family’s laughter and love while I could.
We opened presents, played a new game Emily got, and ate Mediterranean for dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas with my family. My parents got me a new water bottle that’s bigger and better and I got a new saute pan that will be of great use when making dinner. And then Kaitlin and my mom surprised me with the glass deer ornament that Kaitlin and I have loved since childhood. This was both mine and Kaitlin’s favorite ornament for as long as I can remember. We would always contemplate who would end up with it once we were adults. I was not expecting to receive it. Definitely not now, and probably not ever. I felt shocked. I felt loved. And I felt honored. That both my mom and Kaitlin would be willing to give it to me. Or, perhaps I should say “lend it to me”, for I imagine that after a few years, maybe five, maybe ten, I will see if Kaitlin wants to have it for a bit. Who says we can’t all share it? But for now, I will keep it and treasure it and it will be one of my most memorable, most important, and most loved ornaments. I have a handful of them, and this one definitely makes the list.
The day came to an end, as all days do, and my dad drove me back home through a slight snow storm, bless him. He drove carefully and got me home safely and then returned back to his home safely too. I love my family so much and feel so grateful that we were able to get together and spend time together. I can’t wait for the day when that becomes a normal thing again.
Sunday was just as busy and full of love. I made stuffing for a virtual Thanksgiving with my friend, Brittany. We’ve had Thanksgiving together for years, and I couldn’t let 2020 stop us from our streak. So I made stuffing, Elisabeth made cranberry sauce, and we dropped off portions of both to Brittany. She gave us her delicious green bean casserole (best I’ve ever had) and some Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodle cookies, we gave each other hugs wearing our masks, and said “see you online in a few hours!” Then we hurried home where I worked on some Christmas presents, watered my plants, and prepared the rest of our Thanksgiving meal. Shari came over and we all ate an early dinner as we video chatted with Brittany. It was truly lovely and I felt wonderful. After dinner we hopped onto Discord where we met up with our meetup friends and watched The Holiday as we chatted online. So a weird, but wonderful, weekend was had. I celebrated two holidays in two days. That’s the fun of life, right?
Just Lauren 