I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got enough

I didn't get everything I wanted for Christmas, but I got enough. My family, as usual, was in upstate New York and I was down here in Florida. My wife and kids and her parents were here and we are well into have our own holiday traditions and rhythm. But this year I missed everyone more than I usually do.

My aunt and uncle weren't able to be up there either. It's been a tough year for them, health-wise, and even before my uncle got the bug last week, he wasn't up for traveling. It was tough seeing him in October. He was always so robust, but it's all caught up with him and now he has become old.

Christmas is evolutionary most of the time. Each year, the kids get a little older and the wide-eyed overwhelming enthusiasm of toddlers gives way to the youthful greed of childhood, then to a realization that it's at least as important for them to see their teenaged friends as it is for them to be with family. Eventually, they wind up away for a Christmas. But these changes are gradual and you can typically see them coming. I still miss the wide-eyed enthusiasm, but I have two wonderful children and it is still a pleasure to dote on them.

Then you have the revolutionary changes. These can be good...a new family member, either through marriage or birth, or the return of someone who used to live far away. And they can be bad...a broken marriage or a death that leaves a gaping hole.

My grandmother used to be an enormous part of Christmas. Her last Christmas with us was 1998 and we chose that Christmas to be back in upstate New York. I suspect that my mom still has a hard time with certain parts of Christmas because her mother isn't there. Then again, I suspect she probably still misses her father, who has been dead now for almost 35 years.

We had no revolutionary changes this Christmas. In fact, it was the first "normal" Christmas we've had since 2000. In 2001, my family was down and we had more than 20 people in our house Christmas morning. In 2002, my wife had to work Christmas day, as I was laid off and her job got us health insurance. Last year, we were away from home. This year was just us and her parents and her sister.

Everyone was there and well and no one was experiencing life-threatening difficulty. It would have been nice to see my family, too. I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got enough.

The presents were nice, too.