We had such a good plan. We planned to spend Christmas up at the cabin in the snow. No electricity, no running water, just good old-fashioned snow and cozy family time.
Preparations occupied a large percentage of my time and energy during the month. I had visited multiple thrift stores, making sure we had all the right snow gear in all the right sizes. I had gathered up games, puzzles and other entertainment for the little ones who would be mostly inside the whole time. I prepared all of our meals, and froze them in disposable cookware so we wouldn’t have to worry about washing any dishes.
We had everything packed and piled in “the packing spot” the day before, and had even gotten the house all clean.
And then… one of the kids started throwing up. Violently and repeatedly. I was prepared to overlook the sore throats and coughs that several kids were already showing signs of. But the stomach flu? That was just too much. Despite a few tears and protests, we decided to cancel our trip.
Luckily, we had borrowed Uncle Doug’s quad for the snow, so the kids had lots of fun riding it around our back yard. We ended up having a lovely Christmas. Just us at home.
Here is what we did on Christmas Eve:
Our traditional fancy dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, rolls and sparkling cider.
Our traditional Nativity play. During the day we had watched all of our nativities from years past, and it was fun to see the family grow right before our eyes.
Then we opened ornaments, read the Christmas story, and set out stockings and cookies for Santa. The kids all like to sleep in the same room, which is getting to be a pretty tight squeeze!
Jeff and I always watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” while the kids are going to sleep, but this year I couldn’t make it all the way through. I had to go to bed early because I wasn’t feeling well. I’m glad we decided to stay home for Christmas, but now I’m itching to get up to the cabin! Our bags are still packed!
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