Christmas Day minus one

For the past 23 years, I’ve spent Christmas here in town surrounded by my immediate family. We only go out to visit a family member’s house; otherwise, we spend Christmas inside.

So it came as a strange shock to find out my dad would have to work on Christmas Sunday. It was a strange shock because it didn’t hit me right off the bat – many people across the country and around the world work on Christmas Day, what makes this any different?

It was different because it had never happened to us. As far as I can remember, no one in my family has ever had to work on a holiday my family would be celebrating.

It hit me much, much later, as I tried to get to sleep that night. I would be spending the majority of Christmas Day with a family member absent. My parents, my aunt, my brother and his family and I would actually have to make a schedule for Christmas Day as to who would be where at what time, something more concrete than Christmas dinner at 12:30 at my aunt’s house and a visit from my brother’s family that afternoon.

As I’m sure you’re saying – along with the cynical cries of “Join the club!” - this is something many families have to go through. People always have to work on holidays, either because they can’t get the day off or because they want the overtime. When I worked at the Battle Creek Enquirer, I couldn’t imagine working on a holiday like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas, yet someone was always there.

It seems like it was a poll on the Today Show that said this year would be remembered by Americans as one of the worst on record, with the economy cited as the biggest detractor for this year. When I watched the host discuss that, I smiled – sure, 2011 has been a crappy year, but it’s almost over. The best is always saved for last, so they say.

I’ve dealt with plenty of hardships this year: my unemployment, the deaths of loved ones, missing my friends’ wedding in Texas due to my unemployment and plenty of frustration and anger to fill in the gaps from tragedy to tragedy.

So, I’ll be spending Christmas Day as many others will spend it – patiently dealing with what life has dealt me for part of it and enjoying the rest. That’s what I’ve done for all this year and that’s how I plan to finish 2011 out.