This Christmas was very different from every other year.  It was special because I was finally able to see my sister after being apart for a while and it was great to spend time with her.  It was also very weird because my brother was not able to come back from Georgia with his wife.  He had just moved there and they decided it was just too much for them to travel all the way back when they had just gotten settled.  I missed them both very much, but we carried on our tradition of us four kids drawing each other’s names out of a hat and being their Secret Santa! Keegan, my 22 year old brother that lives in Georgia, just mailed his gift to us and we mailed his gift to him! We called them on Christmas day and had a long chat with him over the phone. Hopefully next year he will be able to come and see us!

Another reason this Christmas was weird was that my cousin, Nichole, was also not here because she went to the Philippines to teach at an elementary school.  When we had our family Christmas at my grandparents house, we were sad to see her usual spot empty and her stocking sitting there unfilled, but we were able to Face Time her after dinner.  It was good to see her again but it still wasn’t the same.  I could tell it was very hard for her not to be here with the family, but what she is doing there is important as well. Next year I think my Aunt and Uncle are going to fly her in for Christmas.

After Christmas, my cousins and Aunt and Uncle from my mom’s side drove in from Colorado and stayed with us for 3 days.  I have missed them so much and it was so great to be able to see them!   We had a blast playing ping pong, tag, and having snow ball fights, even though one of them ended with me getting a bloody lip!