25 Days of Christmas -- Day 19: Changing Plans

My friend Stacy issued a "25 Days of Christmas" challenge.
To participate, post 25 ways you celebrate the Christmas season.

I'm a planner. I have a planner that I live by. I rely on my planner so much that I refuse to make commitments unless the planner is open in my hand, and once a plan is penciled in, it's mentally very hard for me to change it.

The Christmas plan is the mother of all plans. Last year, we hosted my family for several days, so in preparation for this year, I began planning menus and activities far in advance. I stocked the freezer with supplies for large meals, and brought in an extra bed for the scrapbook room.

But then, my brother Dustin and his family went through some difficulties, including a week-long hospital stay for his daughter Rae Lynn, who was frighteningly ill with pneumonia and RSV. After a roller coaster month, he called to say they weren't going to come for Christmas. The objective at Christmastime was merely to spend a little time together, and with 1/4 of the party not coming, it was time for some changes to the plan.

We'll still have a full and busy Christmas. as we're expecting James' family, my mom and some friends on Christmas day. The major change: we won't have a houseful of guests during the week prior. On the 26th, we'll head to Tulsa to see my siblings and their families. Several days worth of a visit will be reduced to a couple of hours at best, but we'll get to spend time all together where we otherwise now would not.


photo credit: housing.wwu.edu