When you're an active-duty service member either being active or some flavor of AGR you get accustomed to spending the holidays at home (wherever that may be) or at a friend's house. For the past eight years we lived that life. We would spend Thanksgiving at one friend's house then host Christmas another time. We would budget time throughout the day to call/facetime family. As with any situation we adapt, our kids adapt. We become acclimated to this lifestyle. This isn't a complaining article. We accepted this lifestyle when I agreed to become AGR. The Army Gods were smiling on us when we got stationed at home. We are 40 min away from my parents and two hours (Northern Virginia traffic is included in the trip) from my wife's parents. We have spent the past two holidays with family, and it has been amazing.
This morning for Christmas our boys opened Santa Clause presents. Played with their new toys. We are a board game/STEM type of family. We try to avoid electronics as gifts. We want our kids to incorporate other people into activities. 1) to learn new hobbies and 2) learn how to communicate with other people.
*Ever been in a group full of people that are constantly on their phones? Yep, it's terrible. Put the phone down and have an actual conversation.
Around lunch time they asked when we were going to call the grandparents. We told them that we wouldn't be. They appeared sad but over the course of the years they have adapted. Instead, we told them....
Grandma and Grandpa were coming over to visit.
They were ecstatic!
For the first time in eight years, they would be spending Christmas with their grandparents!
They whole crew came over, grandma, grandpa, uncles, and cousins.
We had a great time sitting around talking, catching up and playing with the kid's new toys. At one point the kids were playing with the cousins, and we were able to have uninterrupted adult conversation. For those with kids you know how valuable that time is. We were able to make plans for the next time to hang out. That was the coolest part about the evening. The ability to say, "What are you doing next week?"
This was the first time in a long time that Christmas actually felt like Christmas.