all in the family...

Christmas is a time for family.

One of the biggest challenges Bill and I faced when we were first married (and sometimes still do) is dividing holiday time between our families. No matter how much you like/love your in-laws, spending time with them at the holidays just isn't the same as being with your own family. Luckily for Bill and I, both of our families live close by us and each other. Only an hour separates us from "home" and there is only a 15 minute drive between the homes of our parents. How fortunate is that?! This year we will be with Bill's family Christmas Eve for the family dinner, then on to my parent's place for the night. Christmas Eve is my Mom's birthday so it's nice to be able to spend time with her on that day. Christmas day will be spent with my family. I guess we're extra lucky in that we each get along with both families. I know some people who can't stand their in-laws...or their own family for that matter.

We weren't always able to have this arrangement. For the first couple years that we were married, my parents lived in Calgary. This made it extra tough for me at Christmas...not seeing them all year, and then missing them so much at Christmas time. My in-laws were always welcoming to me, and I enjoyed spending time with them...it just wasn't the same. One year we were able to both fly out to Calgary for Christmas...that was great, at least for me. It was the first time Bill had been to Alberta and we had fun showing him some of the sites. I'm sure that even though I was ecstatic to be with my family that Christmas, it was tough for Bill since that was the first year he was without his family at Christmas.

Compromise. That's what it's all about. You want the person you love to be happy...so you do the best you can with the situation you have. I'm thankful that we will be able to spend time with both of our families again this year.


Merry Christmas!!!