Children dream of a white Christmas. Part of my childhood we lived in an area where I always had a white Christmas. I never thought of the cold, or preparing for the cold. My thoughts were on building a snowman, snow ball fights with siblings and cousins, and sledding. The fun activities of snow. After playing in the cold, chilly snow, we were greeted with a cup of hot chocolate in a warm cozy home.
Children do not have the cares or worries adults carry when there is a white Christmas. The preparation of water lines and making sure the heat stays on before the cold weather arrives. As a child we were dependent on propane, that was delivered, for heat in our home. My parents would check the propane tank and make sure there was sufficient propane for all of winter before winter arrived. The company would not deliver propane if the roads were icy and unsafe to drive on.
This year my son, daughter-in-law and their five children will have their first white Christmas in Indiana. They moved to Indiana because my son’s job transferred him there. For Christmas celebrations, they were going to his parents-in-laws. This morning, my son, his wife and four children were heading back home. They left yesterday afternoon on a road trip to spend Christmas with her family. They managed to travel one hour from the house, but the journey took four hours due to white out conditions. They were able to get a hotel for the night. With the weather still precarious, they made the choice to return home and celebrate Christmas there. They are disappointed in not sharing Christmas with her parents. But more important is to stay safe to celebrate next year.
There are many who are left in airports, and other places away from where they were planning on being for Christmas – all because of the weather. Others are driving on slippery roads trying to reach their destination or just to go shopping for groceries and last minute gifts. I do not think any of them are happy about a white Christmas, their only focus is on staying safe in their travels.
We have had our disappointments for Christmas celebration as well. Our plans were to spend Christmas Day with my daughter, her husband and four children. But, my daughter and her husband, and oldest daughter came down with Covid. No trip for us on Christmas Day. And no snow. In the fourteen years I have lived in Texas, we have had only one White Christmas.
We live close enough to my daughter and her family, we can reschedule for a weekend day to celebrate. But others, they have taken time off for the trip and celebrations. My son and his family, will have to schedule a time when he has more than three days off as the distance takes a day of good roads to get there.
Packages can be mailed. Facetime can be used to watch grandchildren open gifts. There are ways to celebrate with today’s technology without being there physically.
Stay safe. Celebrate with a joyful heart. It is not the place or who you celebrate with that makes Christmas important, it is why you celebrate that makes Christmas important.
amtolle
Me, Myself and I 