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The holidays can be an exciting time—the lights, the joy, the hope that permeates the atmosphere. The overall holiday experience can get even more revved up with the much-anticipated sports match-ups.
As special holiday treat, we bring you coverage of the Tough Enough Showdown of the Year: The Military Spouse vs. Mrs. Claus! The gloves are coming off to determine who does it better between these two empowered individuals.
Looks like the match up of the year is about to start. Let’s tune in!
Winter is in full swing up here in Alaska and has been since October when the first snow fell. With that being said, it’s my first full winter up here, and I was definitely not looking forward to it because I’d been in Texas for the past three winters. I’ve learned a lot since moving up here, especially about getting through the winter months in this climate.
For many years, my husband and I discussed attending a Christmas Eve candlelight service. He and I attended a few growing up or when we were married and didn’t yet have children. Once children came into the picture, the idea of attending a candlelight service sent me into a panic. These services don’t correlate well with the kids’ dinner and bedtime routines. The candlelight services hours force us to drag hungry or cranky kids into a church. Furthermore, to ask a very young child to sit quietly in a pew for an entire service, and prevent them from eating an unlit candle, tearing the paper shield, or touching the flame, is nearly impossible.
HOMECOMING: December 22, 2009
Mike couldn’t sleep on the plane. He couldn’t wait to see Darcy. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she opened his gift. He had it delivered to his buddy Nick’s house. Nick’s wife, Kimmy, loved Darcy, and he knew she would keep a secret. She also wrapped the box and made it look extra special, as only women can do.
Six Lismore hand-cut antique glasses from 1957 were in that wrapped box. Six more to complete the set of eight. All of them were from the same year as the ones Honey had gifted Darcy. Mike couldn’t honestly say he understood the connection Darcy had to them. He also didn’t understand why six pieces of glass cost so flippin’ much. He didn’t understand a lot of things in the world.
Killeen, Texas, 2009
Darcy McNeal had been told (as a new spouse) that developing a routine was important during a deployment. Well, she had her routine down to a science.
Work, drink wine, sleep, and repeat.
Seven months in and she felt like she was doing okay. She avoided most news networks, checked her email daily (sometimes twice), and always had her phone by her side, charged and ready. But her favorite part of the routine was the trip to the community mailbox in their apartment complex. Sometimes (on the best of days), nestled amongst the bills, the flyers, and the catalogs of things she could never afford… there would be a letter.
You don’t need me to tell you that 2020 has been the year of all years, and I doubt you need me to describe the myriad changes we’ve experienced. But while this has been a year full of darkness for so many, there are a few things I’d like you to reflect on before year’s end to find a silver lining.
In my family, we do this by using advent candles. The tradition is to light a candle on each Sunday for four Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve. We lit our first candle on Nov. 29 and will light our final one on Dec. 20. Each candle symbolizes a different moment of reflection, something especially important in this year of hardship.
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