I love gift giving. It is, I would go so far as to say, my primary love language. I take my time methodically selecting presents that will bring that specific person joy, and then receive my reward by enjoying the look of delight on their faces when they realize what kind of meticulous time and planning I have put into making their holiday extra special.
Holidays are meant to be spent with family but as the saying goes, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” What does that mean? Well first of all it means all those people touting ‘blood is thicker than water’ as a way to justify toxic family members are wrong. But also it means that found families are every bit as important as the one you’re born into.
I had the pleasure of enjoying four separate Christmas celebrations this year:
- Secret Santa – My team at work did a secret santa wherein we were given the name, address, and likes/dislikes of a team member as well as a $30 cap and a plan to do a video conference December 18th to open them. I was apprehensive at first because my person was one of the newer TMs and I knew very little about her but I needn’t have worried. She ended up loving what I picked out!
- Neighbor Xmas – During shelter in place, from the view on my balcony, I first met my next door neighbor Amanda. It is borderline freakish how quickly we’ve gone from strangers to besties but when you click you click. We enjoyed Christmas with myself, Amanda, her son and her boyfriend on the 17th.
- My Kidnappers (for legal purposes that is a joke) – When I was 12 my mom thought I was going to be a weirdo loner kid so she signed me up for a mentoring program. That’s where I met Susanne and, later, her husband Eric. I have been hanging out with them almost every week (aside from college and shelter in place) for the past 18 years. They are a second set of parents and I love them dearly. It is also an ongoing joke that they kidnapped me to raise as their own.
- The Big Kahuna – Christmas Day! I celebrated with immediate family and took great pleasure in dressing Gipsy Danger up in an array of holiday themed sweaters.
I know the holidays are not always happy for everyone. I am very aware of how blessed I am in the number of loved ones I celebrate this season with and that not everyone is similarly endowed with that same level of love in their own lives. But I also consider all of you as part of my family. A family that has supported me through my highs and lows, my bursts of inspiration and my grueling writer’s blocks, the good/bad/ugly and everything in between. And if I had your addresses I’d write you all Christmas cards, that is how much you mean to me.
That being said, if you didn’t receive a card this year and you want one (and don’t mind it being hella late) shoot me a message with your address and I will personally send you a heartfelt and handwritten holiday hello.
Bye 2020, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!