Christmas! I think I finally figured out what this holiday is all about. (No, I'm not going to talk about Jesus' birthday.) It's about being so busy and crazed and stressed that, when it's finally over, regular life feels like a vacation. Oh, I am so glad it's over. The holiday was lovely and just what it was supposed to be. Our family was together and cheerful, the food was abundant and delicious, everyone gave and received lovely and thoughtful presents, Mia was elated, photos were taken. But my god were we tired.
In the days leading up, there were just so many dishes and errands and presents to wrap and times I couldn't find the scissors and times Mr. SOC and I had to wait impatiently for the tape dispenser to become available so we could just finish wrapping the goddamned presents and go to bed, for Christ's sake. There was Mr. SOC's Christmas eve migraine. And then there was my crazy brain, which became hyper-focused on the to-do list to the point where it felt like there was a cyclone in my head. And then there was the 5 a.m. telephone call on Christmas morning from the mother-in-law (don't ask), and of course neither of us could get back to sleep. Then there was the epic journey to Pennsylvania with Mia on Christmas evening, involving a plane that arrived at its destination three hours late and was delayed in every way possible. We waited (hours) to get on, then we waited to take off, then we waited to land--circling and circling and circling for eternity until I began to believe we were trapped in some kind of vortex and were never going to see the earth again. Somewhere in there Mia and I had Christmas dinner at the airport Popeye's. We split the chicken tenders meal. Eight packets of ketchup were involved.
But, but, but...I am not complaining. Really, I'm not. Because I made it through to this place of sweet, sweet relief. I have arrived in a land with free beer and no dishes to do. A place where Mia is an angel who plays happily all day, charms everyone she meets and asks absolutely nothing of me. A place I could not possibly have appreciated this much without all the stress of the past week. This evening, I hung out in the hot tub with Mia and then went to see Avatar in blissful solitude, a bottle of beer tucked in my jacket pocket to sip in the darkness. I am so grateful to have made it to the other side of Christmas. Thank you, baby Jesus.