The Grinch struck our house. 2022 was not my best year—at least not the end of it. We missed Christmas altogether, and for a Christmas junkie, it wasn’t much fun.
I broke my leg three days before Thanksgiving, so we missed celebrating
the holiday with the family. (For the first ten days, I was confined to my
bedroom upstairs, and could go nowhere.)
Larry cooked a nice dinner and we ate together on a TV tray
next to the bed, but it wasn’t the same. My brother- and sister-in-love brought
us turkey soup made from the carcass as well as rolls and dessert a couple of
days later. Delicious, but the best part was seeing them, if only for a short
time.
I finally got to see the orthopedic surgeon, and had the much-hated
splint removed and the cast put on. No surgery required. Thank God! Things got
a bit easier at this point, but Larry was still caring for me. No time to even think
about Christmas decorations.
Kim was supposed to arrive on the 16th to stay
through January 1, so I had hoped she might put up a few decorations and bake
some cookies. However, she arrived with a cold. We tried to keep our distance,
but…
Of course, we both caught it. (NOT Covid, just a garden
variety cold, but this one hung on for nearly a month.)
No tree. No stockings. No cookies. Few gifts, and then only
the ones I had gotten before the broken leg. Most of the kids in the family are
getting too old for gifts anyway, so I have taken to giving each family a
check. (I’d rather shop, but I fear those days are over.)
We had already gotten Kim a ticket for Disneyland, so on the
18th, we all went. We took the wheelchair, and Larry and Kim pushed
me around. She got to go on the rides she especially wanted to enjoy. By the
end of the day, they were both very tired.
We went to church on Christmas Eve so Kim could see some of
her friends. Lovely service, but it felt as though something was definitely
missing.
The rest of the time was very quiet. Kim borrowed our car so
she could go to some of the places she has missed, and we ate at her list of
favorite restaurants.
We all went to bed early on New Year’s Eve.
On New Year’s Day, we took Kim back to the airport. Then we
came home to rest and try to get over our colds.
We have both been feeling better the past couple of days,
but the house remained in fall mode until last week.
Hoping for a real Christmas for 2023. Hope your holidays
were a bit more festive than ours.
Oh Lorna, I am so sorry to hear this! After the last couple of years, I think most people were looking forward to “normal” holidays and I know it was very difficult when that didn’t happen.
ReplyDeleteHoping you are all getting better every day and that the year ahead is much better than the last couple of months of the previous year! Big hug!
Peggy
Thanks. The broken leg is nearly healed. But we lost a tree on Saturday night. Fortunateky, no damage to the house. Hope 2023 will be better.
DeleteSorry for your troubles, was nice to see you and Larry and Khim at services, I hope 2023 you get to celebrate Christmas in a big Way, Debbie Tunget
ReplyDeleteThanks. So do I!
DeleteLorna…I remember Christmas at your house. It was a festive time for everyone that attended including our family who had moved just moved from Wisconsin. You all accepted us like we were a part of your family. We still have a special place in our hearts for you all.
DeleteWe are happy you are feeling better and you will be back to making cookies next Christmas.
Love to you all. Special love to our second Daughter Kimberly❤️❤️
That year is one of my favorite holiday memories. Your family shared Hanukkah with us, and we shared Christmas with you. Our moms made sure there were small gifts for ALL the kids, and the family was used to having extra people. (Larry's grandmother always had extra people. If you were there, you were family.) Love to all of your family, too.
DeleteHaving your daughter they made things a bit better, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteSorry it wasn't as wonderful a Christmas as you'd hoped.
Of course, having Kim here was gerat, but none of us felt really well, so everything was empered.
Deletetempered! (I hate autocorrect!)
DeleteSounds like a run of bad luck came your way. Here's hoping lots of better days are ahead now!
ReplyDeleteWell, we lost a big tree in the rain/wind on Saturday... So I hope the good stuff starts soon!
DeleteHang in there. I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It wasn't terrible, just disappointing.
DeleteI am sorry to hear about the annoyances that came your way but happy you have family to embrace you and look after you. Having Kim near fills your heart with joy no doubt.
ReplyDeleteScaling back has been a blessing as I age. There are outdoor lights and a wreath on my door to join in the festive feeling of our neighborhood. A ceramic Christmas tree and a manger scene ( a gift given by a beloved aunt) on the mantle that Tom and I had since Tom Jr was a small child was my decor. Interestingly enough the manger scene came from Woolworths and each individual statue has a price tag of $.39 and it also states painted by hand in Italy.
My Christmas joy was spending time with the Royal’s and the large Jumper families. Being surrounded by love is the best. I hope your future Christmases more than make up for this your
❤️Suzanne
Larry never wanted to put up lights. He'd hang them on the 24th and take them down on the 26th! Now he has two of those projectors he aims at the house...
DeleteI have a TON of decorations, although I gave away quite a few in the years when the neighbor kids helped decorate our tree and cookies. Some of my very favorite memories.
I probably have over 1000 ornaments--many from places we have visited. I have also given away quite a few. And I have none of the plain balls. io got rid of them years ago.
It was the family I missed most. Kim wasn't feeling well herself, so we didn't do very much.
For many years, I made a lot of the Christmas gifts. Then, when we started traveling, I bought all of the gifts when we were on vacation--regardless of the time of year.
Those are the things I miss.
I was and am the outside light stringer. Halloween and Christmas are for outdoor lights. It’s one job I have down. Driving up at night and seeing the outdoor lights makes me happy.
DeleteSuzanne
We have a two-story house, so it takes ladders... I don't let Larry get on them any more. When Kim was little, He sat on the roof and hung her upside down so she could hang them. (We had the one-story house at the time.) Even then, he hated doing it. I was in charge of the inside.
Delete