Lindsey Nordby

This week’s post came one night early, in the assumption that most everyone will be spending the day with their families tomorrow.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. The joy found in the Christmas lights and decorations is always unmatched.

Since moving to Colorado, Christmas has looked a little different for me. When I lived in California, on Christmas we tried to see everyone we could in one day’s time. We always opened gifts at home bright and early, and we would then go to my Aunt Mikki & Uncle Ray’s house and visit with about 100 family members from my dads side of the family, and then we would go to my Grandma and Grandpa O’Neal’s house and visit with my moms side of the family. In my teenage years, when my parents were separated, we even had two family Christmases, one at moms and one at dads.

When I moved to Colorado and started spending Christmas with Michael’s family, Christmas started to look a lot different. Instead of going to everyone’s houses on Christmas day, Michael instead rotated between different people on holidays allowing for a calmer day.

Now, our Christmas tradition is doing gifts in the morning at our house, watching a Christmas movie with a late breakfast, and then (usually) going down to Colorado Springs to see his dads side of the family.

For Michael, a quieter holiday is preferred. For myself, though, I actually enjoyed the rush of trying to squeeze as much into Christmas as we could. I have never been the person to end up stressed out about any aspect of Christmas, really. And I really enjoyed jumping from place to place with Christmas joy to share with everyone.

The hardest part about being in Colorado for Christmas though isn’t the quietness of it. I love the tradition Michael and I created in watching a Christmas movie on Christmas morning. The hardest part for me is how my immediate family is so far away. Not being able to see my mom, or sister, or grandparents on Christmas is difficult and something I always long for around the holidays.

So all that to say, I wanted to turn this post to those who struggle with holidays because of missing family.

While family doesn’t always have to be blood, but rather chosen, and your family adapts over time, it’s never easy when the blood family you are longing for can’t be with you whether it be because of passing or distance. Once thing I have tried to do to combat this longing is to immensely pour into the family I have here in Colorado. I try to buy meaningful gifts for everyone I love. I try to be joyful in my actions and spread love amongst others. I try to fill my heart with the love of Christmas, and send it across states to my family in California.

Sometimes, being an adult means accepting that as your life changes, sometimes there are sacrifices that have to be made with that. As you continue to celebrate Christmas into tomorrow, and then celebrate the New Year, try and remind yourself that even if there is someone you wish was present with you at those celebrations, that they will always be in your heart. If they have passed, remember that they love you and will always remain in your memory. If they are just too far away, remember that they are just a phone call away.

This Christmas season, remember that your loved ones are around you always, no matter the circumstance.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.