#ChronicChristmas Day 21: Embrace the Small Moments




What do you remember from past Christmases — the times everything went according to plan, or the moments when imperfection snuck into the celebrations?

We work so hard to make the holidays perfect, but that’s not what makes for enduring family legends. One of my favourite memories was the year when the tree slowly, but inexorably started tilting and eventually fell over. In the end, we got it back upright, but only with the help of several ropes tying it to the more solid pieces of furniture.

via GIPHY

Another of my favourite Christmas traditions is that moment at dinner when my mother criticizes some element of the meal (which she has always made perfect, so we’re not quite sure why it needs criticizing), or talks about perhaps forgetting the napkins. This is the moment when my sister and I will intone in unison “you f*cked up again, mom,” and everyone falls about laughing. I have forgotten the event that started this tradition, but it is quintessentially my family at Christmas.

Open up. And when disaster hits — and it will, because life’s like that — just laugh. Carve out special moments to sit down next to each other, and immerse yourself in the story and the memories. Tell and retell the story until it is part of the fabric that holds you all together.

Do you have a story of when disaster hit your Christmas that’s become part of your family legends?


#ChronicChristmas is an Advent calendar of tips for a sane holiday season with a chronic illness. Check back tomorrow for the next tip. To see all the posts in the series, click the #ChronicChristmas label below this post.
 

Comments

Rose said…
Our family favorite is , "You ruined Christmas!" But I don't remember the origin. Still funny.
12:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farber’s Disease: Could Your Child’s Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Be Misdiagnosed?

Image
Joint inflammation or contractures. Nodules (small lumps under the skin or in other tissues). A weakened or hoarse voice. Children with these symptoms may have been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or other types of juvenile arthritis . But do they actually have JIA or do they have Farber’s disease? An equine digression When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. This is an adage in the medical world that encourages doctors to not wander off exploring rare and esoteric reasons for a patient’s symptoms. Because most of the time, that hoof beat of a rash likely isn’t the plague, the joint pain more likely a type of arthritis than the bends (especially if the person has never scuba dived) and you get the picture. But once in a while, it actually is a zebra. And even if it’s first identified as a horse, eventually, the stripes come through. It took five years of my parents running around to different doctors before one finally recognized that I had...
Read more

13 Things to Know for Rheumatoid Arthritis Newbies + Facebook Live

Image
Getting a diagnosis of any type of chronic illness can throw you for loop. There is so much to know and you have so little energy. My new slideshow for HealthCentral collects 13 things you need to know as an RA newbie : "Receiving a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a moment of strange duality. On one hand, you may be relieved to finally have answers for the symptoms you’ve been experiencing. On the other, it can be incredibly overwhelming to find out you have a chronic illness. Wrapping your head around all the new factors RA brings into your life is a long-term process. Here are some of the things you need to know." See the slideshow on HealthCentral . And in case you missed it, here is the Facebook Live I did yesterday talking about this topic:   
Read more