This year marked our first Christmas in our new home. I've been so busy with sorting out the house and doing all my 'holiday activities' that I didn't feel too anxious about the upcoming day. Christmas means a lot to me, being a foodie I love the food preparation and the eating, I love the planning, I love preparing the gifts for people, thinking about what they would like and seeing them open their gifts. I love being with other people and relaxing for the day. Obviously I wasn't sure what to make of this year being so far away and missing out on those usual activities in the comfort of our family homes.
The lead up to Christmas was wonderful, we found ourself unleashing the 'kids must be in bed at their 7pm bedtime' rules to, 'lets leave to see the christmas lights at 7.20pm'. The freedom that came with our more relaxed holiday attitude was wonderful. We got to enjoy the innocent wonder of the Christmas lights through the eyes of our sweet boys. What miracles children are! Mere days before Christmas a friend lost her baby girl to a rare genetic disorder, so many times during these holidays I looked at my boys and couldn't stop thinking of baby S. I am just so lucky to have my boys, every single day that I get to cuddle them, that I get to tell them I love them and even when I get to experience the joy of having them fight is a wonderful day because it means I have them.
We are so fortunate to have a wonderful village of support over here, I guess you lean on these people more when you are away from your family and older friends. As a result Christmas day did not go by with my sitting and tearing up at the thought of the events we were missing back at home, I did at various points in time think with fondness back to what we would be doing had we been back home. But we had such a lovely time with new friends and adopted family that I cannot say I felt sadness at what we were missing, just nostalgic.
I've managed, you see, to get myself into a good headspace! It is a nice place where I don't yearn for things I cannot have, I live here, not there. I CANNOT simply have the life we live here AND the life we left behind. THIS is our journey for now, and I'm going to enjoy it and not wrap myself up in what we miss and what we cannot do. We take the opportunities here as we can and continue to grow into a stronger family unit as a result of living in isolation to those family ties.
Christmas has come and gone and we prepare ourself for another New Year, what a great year 2012 will be. I am sure.
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