Merry Christmas!! The entirety of last week’s energy was put into making sure our first Christmas away from everyone we know and love would be that intentional time was spent as a family. Jason and I basically ignored all things Christmas until we were headed to the house we had rented for the week. That meant it was December 20th, and we were zero percent prepared. As a family, we have been tossing around different ideas for new family traditions – maybe special crafts, or movies to watch, or Bible verses to read, or anything that would be unique to us, and can be done yearly, no matter where we were located. Our first new tradition, that we unanimously decided on, came to fruition on the way to the rental house in Lake Placid.
We set out for Lake Placid from Ft. Pierce on December 20th. With our first steps in starting our holiday season being taken the night before with drawing names. Each one of us drew a name out of a hat. The person’s name that we drew was the person we would be buying a gift for. On the way to Lake Placid, we were all brainstorming ideas on what we would get our chosen person. The boys were so excited to get to pick out a gift for someone else. After contacting the homeowner, we were granted early access into the house. We quickly moved out of Wanda the Winnebago and into the house. Then, we all set out for Walmart with a $20 limit. Jason (buying for Cord) and Ryan (buying for me) shopped together on one end of the store while Barrett (buying for Ryan), Cord (buying for Jason), and I (buying for Barrett) shopped the other side. It was more emotional than I thought it would be watching Cord and Bear pick out their gifts. They were each so thoughtful and meticulous. As soon as they saw the right gift, they had fitting and personal reasons why that item was a perfect match for their person. I was immensely proud of my boys. At one point, Cord picked up a toy and proclaimed it to be just what Dad needs. I questioned him – do you really think Dad wants a fidget toy? Is that what Dad likes? But Cord justified it and said Dad was constantly playing with Ryan’s fidget toys or trying to figure out other toys they have. Couldn’t argue with that logic. (Fast forward to Christmas Eve when Cord opened his Transformers gift and Dad spent over 30 minutes trying to get the toy transformed while Cord looked on, patiently asking to have his toy back. Cord’s solid reasoning was proven.) We had a small snag in our shopping plans – I couldn’t buy my gift for Barrett while he was with me. Thus, Jason said once Bear and Cord were done with their shopping, I would
text him, and we could swap boys. Unfortunately, the text came through while we were all getting in line to checkout. The boys all saw each other and immediately started ducking and hiding their prize gifts in their hands. We separated again so I could check out for Bear and Cord, then sent the boys along with Jason. After Jason and Ryan checked out, they all went to the car, and I was left alone in the store to buy for Barrett. Once back at the rental house, we divided into groups again to wrap the gifts. This was not easy for me. I LOVE wrapping gifts. It’s my absolute favorite thing at Christmas. So much so, that I’ve even hounded Jason enough times over the years that he has relented to sealing my gifts into boxes, then letting me wrap them. I wrap everything I can. Stocking stuffers get wrapped – gum, toothbrushes, matchbox cars – EVERYTHING gets wrapped. But with our new tradition of drawing names, I had to loosen the reigns on the wrapping paper. All three boys asked to wrap their gifts they’d picked out, and they are too adorable for me to say no. I supervised the two younger boys’ wrapping jobs, and surprisingly, felt nothing but pride as they jaggedly cut and ripped the paper or pulled off three hundred pieces of tape to secure the package. We all tucked our gifts under the mini tree that was waiting for us at the house upon our arrival and felt like our Christmas season has officially started. T-minus four days until Christmas morning.
Jason and I took turns the next couple of days going Christmas shopping and staying at the house with the boys. I went first. I bought the gifts and stocking stuffers for Jason and the boys. Not being from the area, I was certainly at a disadvantage. Boys are easy enough to shop for – toys and video game accessories. Jason is a bit more tricky, and with not being able to have anything shipped in time, I’m fairly confident that I went to approximately 8,000 stores wandering around hoping to find a “wow” gift for him. I never found it. Stores were madhouses of people bustling around and shelves stripped down to a random belt or pair of socks here and there. I found a few items that I thought would be useful and had to remind myself that this Christmas would be different. Up until last week, we had all avoided the craziness that is brought out during the holiday season, and I was grateful for it. However, even with all the chaos, I found myself really enjoying the time away, slowly perusing through the crowds. Every other year, I was buying anything that I thought would check a box for the boys – no matter size, or practicality of any of it. We had a huge 4,000 sq. ft. house that could store anything our little hearts desired. But this year, we’re in a 34-foot RV, no
storage unit, no additional space. The gifts I picked out needed to be intentional. I needed to be cognizant of the boys’ needs and wants while also knowing we don’t have space for any of this. Anything that comes into the RV means something else is being moved out. After six hours away from the house, I returned with bags of Christmas in tow. I locked myself in the bedroom and gloriously wrapped every little piece I could. As I was bringing the last gifts out to put under the tree, Ryan being ever vigilant of the amount of space our RV lacks, pipes up and says, “You do remember we live in a tiny RV, right?” Bless him.
It was Jason’s turn for shopping the next day. He had to pick up one more gift for Barrett and Cord because in our world, if one boy is given anything extra or even different than the others, it’s a barrage
of questioning and sore feelings. Ryan had one more gift under the tree than his brothers, and Jason was going to calm that storm before it even hit. Jason found himself hitting 5,000 stores just like I had, looking for the right gifts. He also had to settle for ‘useful’ and ‘good enough’ gifts and came home after about four hours of shopping. While he was away, I took the opportunity to wash absolutely anything that was not attached to the RV – blankets, towels, dishes, rugs, dog bed, the dog, pillows, etc. If it fit in the washer or walk-in shower, it was getting washed. Big dog Sage hasn’t been so soft and silky since we left home 4 months ago! After removing all the washables, I found the rental house’s vacuum and scoured every inch of Wanda. I also removed the horrid wallpaper border that was discolored and peeling. This motorhome was looking tip top and smelling like roses again. No longer was the musk of boy and dog hitting you in the face. Also, with the toy boxes, Sage, and everyone moved into the house, the RV was beginning to look surprisingly spacious again. When there’s not a 200lb dog and five humans milling about, this place is downright expansive.
While Jason was still out shopping, another new family tradition was realized. Jason had the clever idea that wherever we are for Christmas, we should make a wreath out of whatever materials we had around us. If we’re on the boat, it may be a wreath of shells we’d found. Or driftwood from a beach. This year, it was palm leaves. Ryan had mentioned that even though he knew it was a tree, the branches scraping his bedroom window at night were unsettling. Perfect! I grabbed my scissors and cut the back side of the palm against the house and then braided the leaves into our first ever use-what-we-have Luke family Christmas wreath. Another tradition born.
Back home, when Christmas Eve arrived, we would first open our family’s gifts under our tree, then we would spend it with Jason’s family eating snack foods and opening all the gifts at his parents’ house. This year, when Christmas Eve came, the questions also came: Are we opening all the gifts today? Can we open at least two? What about stockings? Are stockings still coming on Christmas morning? Can we open the gifts earlier since we don’t have to wait for anyone? Ah, the joys of parenting. The thrill of dragging out our answers, or non-answers, until the boys are bursting. “Well, I guess Dad and I will need to talk about that…Hmm… maybe we could do one gift… But then again, maybe a new tradition would be waiting for Christmas morning to open everything…Hmm… I just don’t know…” Kids are fun to mess with. The boys are good sports
about it, and very persistent. Eventually Jason and I decided we would all open the one gift that was purchased for our family gift exchange. We would also open the gifts that were mailed to us by family. Opening the gift exchange presents was probably my favorite part of Christmas this year. Everyone was so excited to see what someone thought of to buy them. Each of us were spot on with their gifts. Each gift was intentional and personal. Barrett told me, “I always thought getting presents was the best, but now I think I like GIVING presents even more!” He was right. Seeing those boys each open their gift and exclaim how perfect it was made me beam with parental pride.
Our final Christmas tradition established in 2021 was the stocking search. Our boys love a good scavenger hunt. Many birthdays and surprise funtivities include a scavenger hunt where I have hidden various clues around the house or property. All the boys run from clue to clue, excited about figuring it out and racing to the next spot for another clue before getting to the treasure at the end. Barrett proposed the idea of a scavenger hunt for their stockings this year, and everyone agreed stockings would need to be hunted from this year forward. The logistics of the hunt were a little more complicated than I had figured when I agreed to the plan. I didn’t want one of them to find their brother’s stocking, or to find the wrong brother’s clue and get misguided. Also, the hiding wasn’t easy. The rental house had minimal furniture, and I couldn’t hide a stocking in very many places that they wouldn’t accidentally find while still searching for their clues. Consequently, I
changed up the strategy. All stockings were hidden together, outside in the RV where they couldn’t find them before they should. The clues were different as well. I made a sign, like the ones in those kidnapper shows with the letters cut out from different magazines to make up a message, and then cut it up. I cut words apart, letter by letter, and hid each piece around the house. The boys had 27 pieces to find, then put them together, before revealing the message that led them to their stockings. The puzzle didn’t come easy for the boys, but with a little help from Mom and Dad, they figured it out and ran for the RV. I love this new tradition.
Other than our new traditions and Christmas festivities, our time in the rental house was very chill. We ate too much, played too many video games, and sprawled out all over that house. The day before we left the house, Jason and I did some maintenance on Wanda. Jason grinded down the underneath storage compartments and re-painted them to look shiny and new, and I finished up scrubbing the stick off the walls from the wallpaper and sanitized everything before starting to move us back into our home on wheels.
A few medical issues needed dealt with the last two days we were in the rental house as well. Jason, who has been navigating stomach pains and digestive issues for a couple years now, came to a breaking point on Sunday night. No matter how clean he eats, he always ends up sick. Sunday night, he made an appointment with an online clinic, and after two minutes of speaking with a doctor about his problems and history, the doctor sent in a prescription (the same medication that has helped Jason in the past) to our local Walgreens to be picked up the next morning. Fingers crossed the medication has the same effect as the last round did and Jason can no longer dread the thought of needing to eat something.
I also received a text from my dad Sunday afternoon. It was my mom. She had fallen at home Christmas evening and broke her arm. The emergency room did not cast it because it’s broken up at
her shoulder joint. Mom was back home and resting, but she was in a lot of pain. I cried. I sat on the bed and cried in hopelessness of not being able to help her. My mom is having dialysis treatments for her kidney failure every other day, and now she has a broken arm hindering her way of life even further. I came out of the room and told Jason. He hugged me and I cried again. I just want to see her, I told Jason. I want to be able to sit with her and talk. To see her face and hear her voice. We are all desperately missing home and hugs from our loved ones, and when one of them gets hurt or a medical concern arises, we feel the anguish as deep as the distance between us. It’s as basic as a child away from home – I miss my mom. I can’t heal her kidneys or mend her broken bones, but I wish I could be a helicopter daughter, hovering over her and making sure she’s doing what she should. I text my sister, Kristi, who lives a mere five blocks from my parents, to please let me know how mom’s doing after she is able to see her. Thankfully, Kristi went and saw Mom, then called me. By the end of the call, we were shaking our heads and laughing at our dear Mom’s antics. This was a clear moment of realizing that our parents are, indeed, getting older. And with age, comes medical issues and falls that can break brittle bones. Mom will be sitting down from here on out when getting dressed.
Check out for the rental house was 11am yesterday. I woke up at 9am with the most intense stomach pains I’ve ever felt. It was a crippling, stabbing pain just to the right of my belly button. I couldn’t
breathe through it, stretch it, or stand up straight. I was doubled over on the floor as Jason brought me water, vitamins, and pain killers to try to ease the pain. Also, we had two hours to completely move out of this house and Jason was busy trying to get everything put back into the RV. He was taking care of me, getting the boys in line to help, and finishing up all of Wanda’s maintenance. We didn’t have time for me to lay and wait out the pain. I was able to get up and walk if I stayed hunched over. Jason and the boys did almost all the work, bringing me everything from the house into the RV while I put it away. There were about 10 minutes until check out when I was finally able to take a deep breath, stand straight, and proclaim that the pain was completely gone. No lingering cramping or pangs, but completely gone. Jason said, and I tend to agree, it’s time I take better care of my body and what I’m putting into it. I'm still dealing with chest pains that caused a trip to Urgent Care over a month ago, my back is less than stellar most days, and stomach issues come often and with little surprise. I’ll be 40 in six months (oh dear lord, 40!?!), and I’ll be darned if I let my body fall apart before I'm even over the hill.
We left the rental house packed back into the RV. We also left the house without a reservation booked for our next stay. Jason had spent days trying to find a place we could park Wanda, but everything was
already full capacity, or the community was 55 and older only. He had messages and emails out to
several locations, but since it’s the holiday weekend, no one was responding. The couple responses he did get were a big, fat negative. We left the house, picked up Jason’s prescription, and stopped to eat lunch. While at lunch, Jason made calls and checked emails. With much perseverance and on the border of desperation, he got a green light, and we had a place to go. We are now at Central Park RV in Haines City, Florida until January 5th. We will welcome in the New Year here, and Jason is already scheming ideas to make that holiday special just like our Christmas.
So, here’s to intentional family traditions, to keeping things simple, and to sitting to put your pants on.
