For some people, this is the most magical time of the year. For me, it’s a mixed bag of emotions. I don’t get to see my kids on these holidays because they live in a different state and going back and forth to me is a bit complicated for them. They are adults and they did come visit the days leading up to Thanksgiving, which is the day they went home. Now, I miss them even more.

December is such a tricky month to navigate for me. This year that is especially true. My oldest daughter graduated college this month and I couldn’t be prouder. I was present for the ceremony in Florida and it was much warmer there then here in Michigan. However, that will be the last time I see my kids this year. That is hard at Christmas time, but it is the way it is these days. I am thankful it’s just my wife and I at Christmas so we don’t have to plan any major feasts to be served, but I don’t think I would mind.

At the end of the month, my youngest daughter will be exiting her teenager years by turning 20. I cannot believe my baby girl is turning 20! It’s so hard to comprehend the amount of changes she has gone through in just 7 years. What a wild ride being a teenager is and to think it’s only 7 years of your life seems crazy to me.

Adding on to the day my youngest was born, it is also the same day my father passed away. I can’t believe I haven’t seen or spoken to my father in 20 years! I miss him every day and often do talk to him in my prayers and in general comments. I’m sure he’s enjoying seeing me try to navigate having 2 adult children from above. I just wish I could ask him for advice.

I think not having family around at Christmas time changes your perspective on the holiday itself. You notice other things going on that you never really thought about. I know it sounds funny, but what I’m most looking forward to on Christmas day, aside from spending the day with my wife doing who knows what, is the next block of episodes of Stranger Things. It’s the little things in life I guess that carry more weight than they normally would. Come on though, if you watch the show, how great was that last episode of the first block? Looking back it will just be episode 4 of season 5, but that was really good stuff. I’m sure though, after a couple months, it will all be forgotten but it sure is fun in the moment.

2026 stands to be a year of many things. For one, our nation turns 250 years old and that should be a special 4th of July this year. Hopefully it goes off without some knucklehead trying to change where our attention should be. For another reason, I turn 50. I missed being a bi-centennial baby by just a few days. Age is just a number to me and I don’t think I will miss my forties all that much. Aside from just being of a younger age, these have been an interesting decade. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about that in roughly 6 months.

I know this is kind of a hodgepodge of a post, but I think that is an accurate representation for this time of year. Everyone is running around buying gifts for others in their lives as well as traveling all over the place. Chances are there are 2 major holidays in the span of 30 days and then we reset to a new year and start the annual cycles all over again. It’s all a bit nutty to me. Maybe I just miss the magic of times gone by when the kids were young and this time of year felt magical. I miss the days of family gatherings from when I was a kid too.

I wonder what it will be like when the robots take over and this time of year is just generated by AI.