Merry Mathmas

My last entry was to fall on December 28. The 28^th of the month is the day that Sarah suggested I write because it is my birthday and it would be easy for me to remember (kindly overlook that this will be posted Jan 29^th). Last month was not only my birthday (December 28^th) but it was also the day that Andrew coined as Mathmas.

Lets go back to the days when significant others were new to the picture and so was the compromise that Chrsitmas visiting brought about. It was a difficult question, which family would we visit on what day? To avoid tough decisions my family decided that we would celebrate Christmas on a day other than December 25^th. This worked well for everyone but especially Andrew and Sarah. I know Andrew enjoyed spending Christmas day in Barrie with Neil and Carolyn, Cath and Eliot and Tom (probably flying solo back in those days) but the big excitement for Andrew was seeing the kids (Noah and Clair) open gifts and the excitement of Christmas morning.

Since our family was without tiny ones running around at that time, we didn’t mind so much if we got to enjoy the gifts of the holidays (spending time with friends and family) on a day other than the 25^th. I’m not sure if the 28^th was intended to be the day all along, but that day ended up working best for us that first year, Andrew and Sarah had returned back from Barrie and Al and Ken were in town, but what really defined it was when Andrew took to calling it Mathmas and the name and date seemed to be locked in stone.

Nowadays, we still gather on the 28^th and I know Andrew would love it as much as he did in the past. There is the excitement and energy that little ones bring to opening gifts and playing with new treasures. For us, the loss of not having Andrew’s energy and excitement in our daily loves is felt even more. Over the holiday season we feel the joys of the season and cheer in the hearts of kids all over, but we also miss those that aren't with us. So with both joy and sadness I wish everyone a belated Merry Mathmas.