Time with family makes the rush worthwhile

Since my wife and started dating 10+ years ago, we’ve made an effort to equally distribute our Christmas visits between families. The trouble is that both moms typically hold their Christmas dinners at the same time, on the same day. Keeping everybody happy requires some careful planning on our part.

Our parents’ homes are both in the Provost-Chauvin area and you can drive from one to the other in less than half an hour. Most of our siblings also live back near the old home land, making Amanda, Grayson, Rylan and I the ‘outsiders’ as we reside in Red Deer, which is more than three hours away.

We used to spend Christmas Eve at my parents, attending midnight mass then waking with everybody to open presents early Christmas morning. When our first child came along, we decided to start spending Christmas Eve in our own house and make the drive on Christmas Day.

Our destination this year will depend on how we did things last year. We’ve attempted to keep a rotating schedule of where we spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This year, we will spend Christmas Day with my folks – I think.

One Christmas, we managed to attend both Christmas Day dinners. After two massive turkey feedings, just hours apart, I almost required medical attention.

Another year, we attempted to spend portions of Christmas with both families, traveling back and forth between the two gatherings. Needless to say, this was not an enjoyable experience.

The kids don’t really care one way or the other, as they are lavished with treats, gifts and attention for three consecutive days.

As trying as the Christmas rush may be, I always try to find a moment of peace and calm to soak in the warm and fuzzy holiday feelings. For me, the true ‘Christmas moment’ comes at the end of the day, when everybody sit around the dining room table playing card games, sipping festive beverages, teasing each other or reminiscing over days gone by.

It’s a little sad to consider how rarely we get to spend true quality time with parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We’re all too busy and so many things can change in just one year. But somehow that precious time we spend together during Christmas always wonderfully familiar.

Leo is a former Advocate editor. Contact him by email at newsdeadline@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LeoPare