My Christmas Miracles

A quiet Christmas morning, before everyone arrives.

Years from now, I may be able to look back upon this Christmas season without cringing. Maybe. While there were many wonderful things about this year's holiday, most of those memories are pretty much buried beneath a nasty haze of burning fever, body aches, chills, raw throat, raspy cough, exploding headaches, stuffy sinuses, constant mucous, nausea, diarrhea, and aching ribs. Yep, lucky me, I came down with respiratory flu just three days before Christmas Day.

I had just gotten over a not-too-horrible head-cold a week earlier, when I was suddenly beset with the scratchy, burning throat. What the heck, I thought, another cold already? By Saturday afternoon, I had a fever of 101 degrees, along with horrific body aches and uncontrollable chills. At one point, I was afraid my chattering teeth might bite through my thermometer. What next, mercury poisoning?

Sunday morning was no better. I knew I couldn't even drive Mark to work. I could barely walk. It was now Christmas Eve and I was worried I would end up in the emergency room, an expense I didn't want to take on. I called my sweet, long-suffering daughter at 5:10 a.m. to ask if she could take her dad to work, and she quickly agreed, despite the distance and the freezing temperatures in the teens. She's a nurturer like that. Then, when we found that only one of several walk-in clinics in our area was open on this holiday, Sarah drove me there. An uncomfortable up-the-nostrils test confirmed the flu, and the doctor wrote me a prescription.

After Sarah drove me home, she went to pick up my prescription and brought me back a supply of chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers, and lemon-lime soda to get me through the next few days. She was amazing. I was able to put myself to bed and sleep away the rest of Christmas Eve.

After adding everyone else's gifts to the pile.

I'd like to say that Christmas Day was better, but the truth is that I still had four more days of high temperatures, body aches, chills, congestion, lack of sleep, and painful coughing ahead of me. It was very frustrating because, as the mom, I felt it was my job to serve my family on this holiday. The kids were all coming over in the afternoon to open gifts and enjoy a big Christmas dinner, which I'd planned to cook with their help. That wasn't going to happen, though. To prevent passing the virus on to the rest of my family, the doctor told me to wear a mask, use Lysol, and stay away from the food!

Enter my Christmas miracles. Dylan, Sarah, and Chris showed up right at noon, ready to go to work. Dylan, who is rather germ-a-phobic, set about disinfecting as much of my kitchen and living room (and me) as he could manage. Meanwhile, I sat in the farthest corner possible from everyone else, coughing into my tissues and sipping on sugar-free soda to stay hydrated.

A few games of Guitar Hero while the turkey roasted and the potatoes boiled.

Dylan insisted on handling the turkey all by himself. Well, except for the part where he had to put his hand up the bird's butt to pull out the neck and gizzard and all. I admit, I wasn't so sick that I couldn't laugh out loud when we heard him gagging over it. In the end (pun intended), Chris came to the rescue. 

Sarah handled the remainder of the meal, entirely on her own. It's not that I didn't think she was capable; it's simply that she'd never been called upon to put together an entire family dinner before. I always took the lead, relying on the kids to help. Not only did she do a great job, but she seemingly did it without all the stress I put on myself for everything to be perfectly timed. She just wandered from chore to chore, unhurried, no pressure, and it all seemed to fall into place at just the right times. I'm sure there's a lesson for me in there...

What amazed me most was the gravy. My mom always made the most perfect gravy. She taught me how to do it, but my results have always varied wildly. Sometimes slightly lumpy, sometimes not thickened enough, never quite as good as my mom's. Sarah has never made gravy in her twenty-eight years of life. She has watched me struggle with it over the years, but never done it. So I was nervous, but Sarah was serene. She asked me a few questions, then assured me, "I've got this, Mom."

I'm not exaggerating. Sarah's gravy was the best I've tasted since my mom passed away fifteen years ago. It. Was. Perfect. Another Christmas miracle. Of course, I warned her, this means she has now landed the job of gravy-maker for all family gatherings for the rest of forever!

Sarah and Chris with their pile of gifts.

My dinner plate was prepared and delivered to me, and I ate on a TV tray in my little corner of the living room. My stomach was a bit unsettled by the flu, so I didn't eat much, but what I had was delicious and stayed down well.

Then, when everyone was done, we gathered in the living room for the moment we'd all been anticipating: the opening of the gifts!

Sarah and Chris's presents revealed.

It seemed like everyone came up with especially great ideas this year.
For Sarah:

Chris gave her the beautiful heart bracelet she's wearing in the pictures. Their other gifts they exchanged at home before they came over.

Jacob and Danielle sent her an adorable, tiny, ceramic violin by Jim Shore.

Dylan and Jake gave her a Yoshi amiibo figure, used to enhance video games. Yoshi is Sarah's favorite Mario Bros. character.

Mark gave her a S'Mores gift set. My kids do love their S'Mores!

Jacob, Danielle, and I must think alike, because I also gave Sarah a tiny violin. Mine is a lifelike replica that comes in a lifelike case (but doesn't play music). I also gave her The Walking Dead Official Cookbook and Survival Guide. We are both huge fans of TWD, and we get together every Sunday night, staying up way too late to watch it.

Sarah and Chris with their gifts.

For Chris:

Sarah gave him a nice gaming headset to improve the quality of his video game experience.

Apparently, Jacob forgot to send Chris's gift from him and Danielle, so he promised to send it by express. You can catch that awkward moment in the video clip below, haha!

Dylan and Jake gave him the video game Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends.

Mark gave him a sausage, cheese, and cracker gift set.

I gave him a large area light to use in the new landscape and home clean-up business he's getting started. I also gave him a ceramic cup filled with chocolate kisses. And a bottle of Poo-pourri. Which was kind of a joke-gift I gave to all three couples. Ahem.

Dylan and Jake with their pile of gifts.

Dylan and Jake's presents revealed.

For Dylan:

Jake gave him the "Happily ever after" wall art and the Legend of Zelda Mystery Box, containing cool items from the Zelda video games, such as the treasure chest, the sack of rupees, and the glass (among others). I want one!

Jacob and Danielle gave Dylan and Jake the Star Wars board game as a couple, rather than separate gifts.

Sarah and Chris gave him a gift card, per his request, since Dylan wants to buy an iWatch.

Mark gave him a bag of Oreos with a gift card attached.

I gave him a box of Skittles with a gift card attached, as well as a ceramic Kit Kat mug filled with candies. And let's not forget the Poo-pourri.

Dylan and Jake with their gifts.

For Jake:

Dylan gave him a Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon model, a charger featuring a hologram of the Death Star, and the DVD Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Jacob and Danielle gave them the couples gift, as previously named above.

Sarah and Chris gave him a gift card.

Mark gave him a ceramic Darth Vader goblet.

I gave him two half-pound Reese's peanut butter cups (his favorite candy) with a gift card attached, as well as a ceramic Reese's cup filled with candies.

Opening our gifts from Jacob and Danielle, while on the phone (Face Time) with Jacob in Utah.

Danielle's gifts from Mark and me, before we mailed them to Utah.

Being in Utah, of course, we weren't there to see what all Jacob and Danielle got for Christmas, but we do know what we sent them.

For Danielle:

Jacob told me he gave her a small glass figurine. I didn't see it, but I think he said it had flowers and a heart on it. Or maybe puppies or kittens? It sounded pretty.

Dylan and Jake sent her a Mickey and Minnie Mouse puzzle.

Sarah and Chris sent her a gift card.

Mark sent her a box of chocolates.

I sent her a collectible Niffler in a glass case, her favorite beast in the creature-filled film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Jacob's gift from me, before mailing.

For Jacob:

Dylan and Jake sent him a video game he'd been wanting.

Sarah and Chris sent him a gift card.

Mark sent him a bag of Reese's with a gift-card attached.

I sent him a box of pecan turtles with a gift card attached.

Jacob's gift from Mark, before mailing.

Mark with his tower of gifts.

Mark's presents revealed.

For Mark:

Mark got several gifts from coworkers at Denny's, including the long-sleeved red shirt, a can of popcorn, a candy-filled cup, and a pair of gloves (which he passed on to me, being too small for him).

Dylan and Jake gave him a CD, The Essential Ozzy Osbourne (Mark's favorite since his teenage years; he even has "OZZY" tattooed on the fingers of his left hand).

Jacob and Danielle sent him a nice, heavy steel Ozark tumbler, which will be awesome for traveling.

Sarah and Chris gave him a small drone.

Again, great minds think alike. I gave him a larger drone, a calendar of muscle cars for his bedroom wall, and a DVD of the latest Wonder Woman film. We all know Mark's boyhood celebrity crush was Lynda Carter, of the original Wonder Woman TV show!

As it turned out, the smaller drone flew much better than the larger one, so Mark plans to return mine. Good things come in small packages!

Mary with her pile of gifts. I think I may have been a bit loopy by then.

Mary's presents revealed.

As for me...

I got some beautiful gifts from friends, such as the "Watch Me Whip" dish cloth made especially for me by Megan; the gorgeous wall plaque that states: Family is with you every step of the way" from Liz; and the whisk and hot pad from Carol, with a note that read "We whisk you a merry Christmas."

Mark gave me a three-pound Hershey bar...lordy have mercy! I've been too sick to sample it and will probably give much away to the kids. He also gave me a jar of chocolate-dipped pretzels. His best gift, though (other than our children, of course), was a wooden sculpture of two bear cubs wrestling. I love it! Over the past several years I've found I like these black bear sculptures that are so popular in our area. I'm amazed that Mark remembered that I mentioned this several months ago!

Sarah and Chris gave me the newest Atkins book, Eat Right, Not Less, which was just released this month. I was really hoping to get it! I am determined to get my life and health back on track in 2018 (three-pound chocolate bar be hanged!). It's time to do this for myself and know that I deserve to feel good! And Sarah gave me my newest member of the Willow Tree family of figurines. She is beautiful. Sarah and the figurine!

Jacob and Danielle sent me two gifts. The mug featuring pictures of my beloved Elf-lord, Legolas, is actually a belated birthday present. Only four months behind schedule! That's Jacob, my la-la child. My Christmas present is a charm bracelet with a charm for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It's gorgeous.

Dylan and Jake gave me the other wall plaque with the key and the "family is the key to happiness" sentiment. They also gave me a DVD of Valerian, which they saw with me at the theater, and a bamboo fountain. They know I'm always looking for ways to relax. 

I was a little surprised to get three gifts from my baby boy, and I said so. I was touched when Dylan said he felt he needed to show that he appreciated all those years when I made sure they all had plenty of gifts to open and I only had two or three. If our kids only knew that our greatest delight comes from the joy and wonder on their faces, not the size of our own pile to be opened. And then, one day, our joy comes from seeing the thoughtful, giving adults they've become.

Closeup of the bracelet, a charm for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

We had a wonderful day together, despite the illness wracking my body. The people who love us are the reason we endure, the purpose that makes it all worthwhile.

And now, New Year's Eve is upon us, another reason to celebrate, another excuse to gather together. I'm still struggling to get my strength back, and it appears that it'll be a slow process. Nonetheless, I think we've turned a corner. The fevers and aches are gone; just the cough and lack of energy remain. My family continues to step into my shoes while I recover, with Jake making us his legendary lasagna and Sarah bringing the munchies and preparing the desserts. I'll be able to relax and enjoy greeting the New Year with my family, knowing everything is in capable hands.

2018 is going to be a good year.

Closeup of my newest Willow Tree.

Men and their toys! Things get a little crazy while testing out Mark's new drones.