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Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving is less than a week away.  My boys don't have school at all this next week.  I on the other hand have school on Monday and Tuesday.  The sucky thing about having a two home family (That's what I like to call our situation) is sharing time.  You can say that since covid I've been a bit spoiled.  I've had access to my boys on Thanksgiving and even have been able to enjoy lunch with them.  This year just a couple days ago I was told that they would be headed out of state to see extended family.  In that very moment I broke, my eyes filled with tears and I had to be alone.  Alone with my feelings, alone with my reality.  I've been alone for Thanksgiving many times, but it still hurts.

With all of my family in Michigan, I haven't spend a Thanksgiving with them since before my divorce.  Thanksgiving isn't at the top of my favorite holidays, Christmas is where all most favorite traditions are.  Since the boys were small, Christmas and Christmas Eve is where my heart is.  In exchange for allowing the boys to spend Thanksgiving with their dad and his family, I always get Christmas Eve (He's always invited) and Christmas morning.  It's all worth it, still hard but worth it.

Christmas Eve is always spent in my home.  We go to church, we come home make pizza (yes pizza) we put on matching pajamas, decorate cookies for Santa and watch a Christmas movie together.  We wake in the morning (thankfully not as early anymore) the boys open their gifts and I make a big breakfast spread. (yes, their dad is invited for that too).  Usually by 10 they are gone and off with their dad and his family.

Since all of my family is in Michigan, we celebrate what we call 'Family Christmas".  Its a weekend (not on Christmas) when we all pile into one house and make many memories.   We eat a ton of food and participate in a lot of  "fun" activities. 

So, for all the parents who have to watch their kids walk away on this holiday, hang in there.  This is hard, and it does hurt but its our journey.  Hold your head high, hang out with friends (I have a couple invites) or stay home alone and feel all the feelings you want (I'll be doing that this year).

Happy Thanksgiving!

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