Christmas 2021

How my Christmas went this year

This year’s Christmas came quicker than I had imagined, just as all holidays do. It feels like just yesterday I was enjoying a hot cup of tea just before the clock struck midnight, and Christmas of 2020 had come to an end. I remember beginning to plan for Christmas of 2021, thinking about how it would be. I had so many expectations to be honest, but it didn’t quite turn out as I had exactly planned.

For one, I had listened intently to the news about Covid-19, and what information the health officials had on it. They had at the time, explained that the world would return back to normal before the holidays of 2021. I had become so excited, and told myself, “I can wait a little bit longer for this thing to blow over.” But that was in 2020, and we still had only begun to understand this virus situation.

So here I am after Christmas of 2021, and still, we have to mask up in public, and the virus shows no signs of leaving us alone. Just when we think we are starting to get control over this virus, the unspeakable happens. It ends up evolving into another variant that gets us sick, and spreads all across the world soon after dominating its place of origin. When will we catch a break from Covid? At this point I have to assume that it’s going to take a lot longer than we all hoped. A LOT longer.

So how else was Christmas different this year? Well back in 2020, I had planned for a huge dinner, with lots of snacks and drinks to put aside. I wanted to plate an array of meats, vegetables, and broth all on the kitchen counter for everyone in the house to enjoy. It was an excitement then, that persisted far into most of this year, and it only grew as Christmas of 2021 came closer.

So, as I visited the grocery store to get what I needed, I was met with an unpleasant surprise. I was not greeted with an excess supply of food, but instead shelves that were mostly empty. I guess I had realized that we already suffered from a supply-chain shortage, and as a result, we still had nothing to choose from. I had to settle this year for a simple plate of chicken, when I wanted so much more than that. I hope that next year will be different, but I suppose we shall see.

Lastly in Christmas of 2020, I had hoped to see a snow-covered Christmas this year and had a strong confidence in it happening. I wanted it to be just as 2020 was and be able to slip and slide on the streets, sleigh in the grass, and have a solid reason to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace. By February, just two months later, I became truly convinced that it would be even more snowy than before. The winter storm Yuri had given us signs that the climate would be far colder, and brought us multiple freezes and snow, and made the streets disappear.

So, it began to get chilly this month, and I figured it was one of the last of my three Christmas desires that I could attain this year. At one point it was 39 degrees in the morning, and I knew we were very close to freezing. So, then Christmas came, and what was the temperature I woke up to? 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, it wasn’t even sunny, but there was a slight, humid drizzle, and not a sign of it clearing up.

In many ways, Christmas was the exact opposite of 2020 for me this year. Last year, I felt as though there was more freedom than this year, and things were a bit rough. But I am forgetting to list the joy of this year, because I’d be lying if I said that it was downright terrible. I got a lot of great gifts from friends and family this year that I didn’t even expect in the slightest. Let me also say that a lot of these gifts I didn’t even know existed.

So not everything turned out to be a bust, and I am beyond thankful for the gifts. Let me also say that not everyone is fortunate enough to have any meal during Christmas. I may not have been able to prepare what I had hoped for, but I am thankful that I was able to enjoy something with my family. So for what went right, I will say that this was a good Christmas, and I wouldn’t mind repeating it again next year.

Things could always have been better for sure, but at the same time, you should be appreciative of how things turned out. Just remember that they could always be worse.