Holiday Disappointment

Last week, I talked about the pains of hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner. Well, disappointment has already set in. My brother and his family are not making the trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law is heading back to work from her maternity leave at the beginning of November and can't get the extra time off to travel.

To say I was disappointed would put it mildly. There may have been some tears shed after I found out that they weren't coming. I had plans! I wanted everything to be special! And now it isn't going to happen.

Instead, they will be going to my mom's house the weekend before Thanksgiving. I guess we will be celebrating a little early this year.

My disappointment wasn't stemming from the fact that I wasn't going to be able to host Thanksgiving. Just like many families who live far a part, we can't always spend the actual holiday together. Schedules conflict. Traveling, especially holiday traveling, is difficult and tiresome. The holidays don't feel the same when they are celebrated at a different time.

I was spoiled growing up in that we didn't travel during the holidays. We were always able to eat Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving and open Christmas presents on Christmas. Now that my brother and I are older and live hundreds of miles apart, it is harder to do that. And my brother needs to spend time with his in-laws during the holidays, as well. It isn't fair for them to sacrifice their family time, either. But it is hard not to be jealous when they live in the same area and can be a part of their everyday lives if they choose.

While the disappointment is still there, I need to remember that I am thankful for my family everyday and not just on the fourth Thursday in November. Whether my family is all in one geographic location or in three different places, I hope they are making wonderful holiday memories.