- But, clearly, Christmas is only Christmas when someone asks you to volunteer for just one. more. damn. thing. Like…being the FRG leader. (For real, though — anyone want it?) Am I right, or am I right, JT?
- Based on a true story: Spouse deployed + wee babe who wakes up in the night + I forgot to pick up cookies for a class party + it’s bleedin’ freezing outside = a weepy, rage-filled mother dressed in stinky sweatpants running to the store in the godforsaken dim hours of the morning (is it morning if it’s still dark, REALLY) with greasy hair that stays in a ponytail by itself just to find the store doesn’t have any. more. cookies.
No, but really.
- Oh, also, informal Christmas get-togethers with spouse’s buddies from his last deployment? No problem. I’ll get right to the point.
- One of the best parts about Christmas, though, are when military kids get together. Getting those kids together who understand having a military parent gone. They need each other. And they also need their dads to build their gingerbread houses for them while their moms go to Target. Keep up the good work, gents.
But here’s a good one. Promise.
Sometimes (YES, SOMETIMES), there’s a combination of magic and good communication and a head nod from whatever God you pray to, and something good happens in the military. Yes. It can. It’s a Christmas miracle.
One year ago exactly, our family was pleasantly surprised by the homecoming of our favorite soldier from Afghanistan. His unit made it home a couple of months early and were home to spend Christmas with their families.
So, really, in my mind, THIS is what military life looks like at Christmastime.
Best wishes this holiday season. May you eat enough treats to add a little bounce to your flounce, may you squeeze your family members until they pop, and may you never be asked to run games at a unit Christmas party.
Merry Christmas.
