Learning life lessons at Christmas

I hope everybody had a good Christmas and a happy new year. 

 

Christmas this year started for me on Christmas Eve. 

 

My dad and I went to church together at 3:30. Afterwards we went to his house to open presents. From there, we went to my mother‘s house for dinner and another round of present opening. 

 

It is rare that my brother, sister and myself along with my parents are all in the same room together. It happened twice this year: once on Thanksgiving and again on Christmas.

 

Thinking back to my youth, I could not have predicted that this is how adulthood on the holidays would feel. At that age it felt  like I couldn’t get away from my siblings. Now I only see my sister maybe once or twice a month. She tends bar at Bardens Bar in Waseca and these last couple months I have gone up to visit after city council meetings on Tuesdays. 

As for my brother, I really only see him when we’re doing some sort of recreational activity together. In the summertime, we drove jet skis, now that it’s winter we drive snowmobiles. 

 

I kind of wished with all of us together that we would’ve reminisced on more of our Christmases together. From their perspective, my dad and my mother were relieved nobody cried or got upset this year.

 

As a kid, my favorite Christmas memories included late night drives with my dad, my sister and my brother singing Christmas songs together along with the car stereo. My dad loved to make CDs and he went all out for Christmas. 

 

Along with memories of family members getting upset, another unpleasant memory for me is the time I cheated and found out ahead of time what I would be receiving. We were shopping in the toy aisle at Walmart and I pointed to what I wanted. After learning our wishes, my dad sent us away as he walked through the store. My older siblings and I roamed Walmart for a while, then I decided to check the toy aisle to see if the toy I pointed to was still there. It wasn’t. I learned a valuable lesson that day. Don’t spoil life’s surprises.

 

The present, by the way, was an elaborate Lego set. 

 

In 2002 or so, my brother and I were avid cartoon watchers when the TV show Yu-Gi-Oh released. The only items on our Christmas list that year were Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I still remember Christmas Day waking up with my brother and opening that first starter deck. The joy and excitement I still feel make it seem as if it happened yesterday. I still remember a year or maybe two years later my dad buying me an entire box of Yu-Gi-Oh packs to open. Somewhere near the end of the box I opened the only foil (shiny) card in the box. The card was a magician riding a dragon; I still have it to this day, it was my favorite card in the TV show. Thank you for an amazing Christmas, Dad.

 

I remember another Christmas when all I wanted was a pocket knife and my dad came through. I learned another valuable lesson that day: Be careful with sharp objects. I nearly sliced my finger off as I used the knife to open another boxed present. I still have the scar on my right index finger.

 

My mom will tell you I’m tough to shop for. This year she came through. After opening the present, she said I would enjoy the most, I exclaimed, “Actually something I wanted!”

 

She got me a ringing doorbell for my apartment. It was not on a list anywhere, but I’ve been thinking about it for more than a year. Thank you for a thoughtful gift, Mom.

 

I have few material wants in life. A roof over my head, good, healthy food and most importantly, people to spend my time with whom I love and care about. 

 

My dad called my life “fortunate” after we enjoyed lunch together last week. I corrected him–”blessed.” 

 

I wish you all a happy, merry and joyous year in 2026. Please try to bring kindness to yourself and others this new year.