In 2011 I wrote a post about composing a post-divorce Christmas card. It has been one of the most-googled posts on my blog, which I suppose is because there are lots of people out there who have to figure out the right way to talk about divorce in their annual holiday card. It’s not really a happy topic like discussing the kids’ cello and flute concerts, or the vacation to Yellowstone.
Now as I look back on that post and remember that time of my life, when so much of what was happening was beyond my ability to spin into a positive newsy message for far-flung friends, I’m glad that I kept sending out messages most years, even when they were just a photo postcard with no explanation of why there was a different person at my side in front of the Xmas tree.
And that’s on my mind tonight because I just finally got word that my son will be able to come home for the holidays–he got the days off of work that he’d requested–Joy! That means both kids and Stijn and I will get to celebrate for the first time in our own home. That feels so huge and important, after years of putting up the tree in a different place nearly every year.
So I’m anticipating a lot of fun around our house once the kids arrive. I think I’m going to resuscitate the Astro-Veggie Christmas Tree tradition and also do gingerbread houses. It feels so important to bring back so many of the activities that used to be a part of our annual celebrations. And of course make a few new ones, too.
