I came to the conclusion the other day that this seems like it will be the first Christmas I have had as a pseudo-adult. It is a bit of a sad moment for me.
For the last 20 years or so (I am 26) Christmas has been more or less the same: I go home to NJ, spend a bit of time there, Christmas Eve with my immediate family, then we drive to Boston that night and spend the next two+ days with my extended family (my parents are both from there and almost all of my relatives live in the MA area). My family is fairly tight and into the routine. I always see "everyone" in the family and things unfold in a comfortable way.
But things have changed. My maternal grandmother died last year and we sold her house, so we can't meet up there. And that side of the family is f-ed up a bit as it is, so I won't see a lot of them (my mom is from East Boston and dad is from Revere, if that means anything to you). My other grandmother moved into a retirement community. We always stayed with her for the last 20 years, but that isn't an option anymore. She is always in pain. Just had her THIRD back operation over Thanksgiving.
My sister has to work Christmas Eve (she just graduated college, so this is her first legit job) so she can't go to NJ. My brother is (no kidding) stuck in Pakistan. He is a human rights worker/lawyer there and his visa is expired. If he leaves, he can't go back into the country. He has tried everything, but stuff is nutty there, so nobody is getting visas. He won't be in the States for a while. I laugh and joke about it sometimes, but I really do fear for my brother's safety. He goes into Peshawar, refugee camps and has traveled a lot and been detained a few times (Israeli police and now Pakistani). If there is a God, I am praying to that dude.
I have so much stuff to do that I can't go to NJ at all and will be stressing about work for the next two weeks or so. I have been more stressed in the last few weeks than any point in my life.
So I guess I equate becoming an adult with changes, confronting disappointments and accepting compromises. Yes, I am thankful I have a family and my (realtive) health. But things change, and I guess that's life.
For the last 20 years or so (I am 26) Christmas has been more or less the same: I go home to NJ, spend a bit of time there, Christmas Eve with my immediate family, then we drive to Boston that night and spend the next two+ days with my extended family (my parents are both from there and almost all of my relatives live in the MA area). My family is fairly tight and into the routine. I always see "everyone" in the family and things unfold in a comfortable way.
But things have changed. My maternal grandmother died last year and we sold her house, so we can't meet up there. And that side of the family is f-ed up a bit as it is, so I won't see a lot of them (my mom is from East Boston and dad is from Revere, if that means anything to you). My other grandmother moved into a retirement community. We always stayed with her for the last 20 years, but that isn't an option anymore. She is always in pain. Just had her THIRD back operation over Thanksgiving.
My sister has to work Christmas Eve (she just graduated college, so this is her first legit job) so she can't go to NJ. My brother is (no kidding) stuck in Pakistan. He is a human rights worker/lawyer there and his visa is expired. If he leaves, he can't go back into the country. He has tried everything, but stuff is nutty there, so nobody is getting visas. He won't be in the States for a while. I laugh and joke about it sometimes, but I really do fear for my brother's safety. He goes into Peshawar, refugee camps and has traveled a lot and been detained a few times (Israeli police and now Pakistani). If there is a God, I am praying to that dude.
I have so much stuff to do that I can't go to NJ at all and will be stressing about work for the next two weeks or so. I have been more stressed in the last few weeks than any point in my life.
So I guess I equate becoming an adult with changes, confronting disappointments and accepting compromises. Yes, I am thankful I have a family and my (realtive) health. But things change, and I guess that's life.