Monday, December 26, 2011

the day after christmas....

It's so hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone! We spend so much time preparing--sometimes for months even--and then it seems like it's over in a blink. 
I was anticipating Christmas this year, but not as I have for past years. This was the first Christmas ever that I've not had lots of family around. While Keith has spent at least six Christmases away from home, I haven't, so I think it was easier for him. 
He did so much to make it happy for me, though, from hanging strands (and strands...and strands...) of Christmas lights, to bearing my constant Christmas music, to sitting through several Christmas movies, when I'm sure he would have rather watched a History Channel special.
He even put off playing his new Christmas ukulele to clean the house (Spot-less!) for our dinner guests.
(He's a great santa, too. I saw a watch I really wanted MONTHS  ago, and he actually wrote down the style number somewhere so he could get it for me!)

So even though we didn't get to have a big family Christmas, we made the best of it! Most people say, 'but you're in HAWAII, what could be sad about that?' Well, trust me, nothing beats being around the ones you love, especially at the holidays.
This was our first 'official' Christmas as a married couple, since last year he was in Afghanistan at Christmas time. He's asked me several times in the past few weeks if I just wanted to fly home for Christmas. (I confess, I did spend a few days dragging my feet in homesickness, and I'm sure he was sick of my random emotions....) 
But I told him no way! He's my family now, along with our two little fur balls, and there's no one else I'd rather be with.