Tonight is Emily’s second Christmas Eve! Although we are lonely tonight (Paul is on call at the hospital all night) we still tried to keep up our traditions that Paul and I started last year. Some of them will have to be modified (like a portrait of Em with each parent on Christmas Eve) simply because we weren’t both present and it’s too hard to try to take photos of myself! For the most part though, we did the things I wanted to do to remember this night.
First, this afternoon my friend DeeDee and her little girl Brielle came over. DeeDee’s husband Kevin works at the same hospital as Paul and was on call tonight as well, so we girls got together and made cookies (meringue, oatmeal chocolate chip, and peanut butter no-bakes) to take to the hospital tonight for the Daddies and everyone else working in their departments. We met Kevin and Paul for dinner and then after we got back home we did the rest of our traditions:
1.Put out treats for Santa and the reindeer (this year he is having pretzel sticks, meringue cookies, and water)
2.Emily is dressed in her Christmas jammies and bunny slippers
3.Left the lights on on the tree (usually we turn them off at night)
4.Hung up the stockings by the fireplace
5.Read The Polar Express (although here’s a little confession....Emily was NOT feeling the story tonight so I admit...she did get the condensed version. It’s the thought that counts, right?!)
6.I tucked Emily in nice and tight and said her prayers for her, telling her the story of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.
It is lonely tonight without Paul. I know next year will be better, happier, because we will all be together. At least he is just 6 miles away at work-- I cannot imagine the aching hearts of families with loved ones overseas tonight. I am so grateful that her Daddy is just down the road, not halfway across the world.
Tonight I am thankful for so many things- for my beautiful baby, my loving, supportive husband, our families, the relative ease of moving to North Carolina, for my job, which I do actually love, even though it’s a Tough Love kind of feeling a lot of the time (just ASK how many times I’ve thought of my little friends and worried for them....and I still have another 10 days before I can check on them!) We have been so very lucky and blessed this year and for some reason tonight it all seems so obvious to me. I am thankful....so very, very thankful.
Tonight, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for being a part of our story and for checking on us.
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