Merry Christmas, Readers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, READERS, 

and to all who celebrate this holiday season. 

JENN McKINLAY: Ah, the holidays, a time of Norman Rockwell expectations and Married with Children reality. Every year, without fail, it seems we all gear up for some mythical idea of what the holidays should be as if we haven’t been members of our families our entire lives. We consistently labor under the delusion that this will be the year that the turkey comes out perfectly, everyone gets along and we’ll all randomly burst into song because we are so full of holiday joy.

The heck with that, I say. Embrace the chaos! You see I, too, suffered from a holiday delusional notion that was beaten out of me several years ago. It was Christmas. I was hosting, and I spent weeks planning and prepping to make sure everything was Better Homes and Gardens perfect. And it was…until the guests arrived.

It started with my sister-in-law’s dog, who managed to clear whole rooms as he slyly trotted through the house emitting a purple fog that was so noxious it had everyone checking the bottoms of their shoes to see if they’d stepped in something foul.

The turkey came out so under cooked we had to catch it before it made a run for it. The sweet potato balls exploded. The person charged with saying grace took a beer fueled power nap halfway through the blessing until they were snapped out of it by a well placed under the table kick. The children squabbled, the adults imbibed and the eccentric neighbors dropped in, wearing the decorations that had been previously been hanging on my front porch and then made themselves at home to the remaining desserts while they took over the living room to watch a Simpsons marathon.

As I surveyed the wreckage of my expectations in complete bewilderment, I had to laugh. Had there ever been a more chaotic holiday? No. This was a catastrophe that not even Martha Stewart could resuscitate with thumps to the chest and mouth to mouth.

Now here’s the take away, this is far and away my favorite holiday memory. Why? Because in the end, this is the Christmas that the Hub and I remember and chuckle about the most. 

Now that our holidays are quieter, the children are grown and there are empty seats at the table where dear ones used to sit, I'm grateful to have the memory of that cluster of a Christmas. And I realize as long as I have those memories, the people who have walked on are still with me. And truly, if the holiday hadn't been an utter disaster would my memory of them be as clear? Probably, not. So, embrace the chaos! You really will laugh about it...someday.

Glad tiding to you all, and if you have a holiday disaster story to share, well, I'm all ears.