Everyone has heard of the 12 days of Christmas. This year my family and I experienced the 4+ days of darkness.It was ironic because the day before the storm I was talking with my boys about what a pioneer Christmas would have been like, what their gifts were like, their meals etc. How they would have been grateful for the smallest of things. We have so much, so many conveniences, and so many 'things' we all take for granted. So it was a truly bizarre twist of fate not even 24 hours later to find ourselves without many of those conveniences we take for granted.
Like many others in our area after the ice storm, we experienced loss of power and no heat in the days leading up to Christmas. The ice storm left all of the trees encased in ice. They looked truly beautiful. That is until the weight of the ice caused them to crack and lose limbs and be completely torn apart. We lost several trees. I love trees. I have always loved trees and this to me was devastating, and hopeless. there was nothing to do to help. The ice was too thick to crack off the branches. We just had to wait and hope it would thaw.Being without power or heat. That was not devastating. That was an adventure. Evenings spent by candlelight playing boardgames as a family. Cooking on the campstove, getting creative as to what to make for dinner. Days spent hiking outside. It was as though we were all in a cocoon with one another for 4 days. My boys could not watch tv, or get on their devices, or play video games. I could not do my Christmas newsletter or answer emails or catch up on all of my work stuff. We simply were. Our lives became remarkably simple. Cuddling up at night to stay warm. Phone battery dying from no way to recharge it. We were cut off from the rest of the world. For a few days stores were closed, so there was no where to go, nothing to do. My boys did not complain once. Thank goodness they are used to camping.
Although cold and inconvenient we loved the adventure. We were certainly glad to have our power and heat restored on Christmas eve-especially since it was such a cold night that night, but overall we took the inconvenience and made something magical with it. I believe that in the years to come my children will remember this Christmas to be one of the simplest and most significant of all of our Christmases because we all spend huge amounts of quality time together. We shared and learned from one another.As for the other positives, I felt less guilty about my massive candle collection(I have a weakness for them), it was put to good use. Also I learned how to play chess a bit better. I hadn't played since I was 12 and all of my boys schooled me in the art of the game. They were merciless. Had out power not gone out we would not have had the experiences we had, the conversations we had, or the cuddling and bonding we all shared(my twins are 13 and oldest is 15 now-so those moments are rare!), and for that I am truly blessed.I am also grateful for those men and women who were out there working day and night to restore the power and services back for the rest of us, so we could be comfortable. They took time out of their holidays to help all of us.Now that the lights and the heat are back on, I am slowly re-entering the world outside. Earlier today I ventured into a store. I felt like I was from another planet as I wandered around for a solid 30 minutes just blown away by all of the things. Right now I have my computer back on and am trying to catch up on my to do list. Although it feels good to get things done, honestly right now I would rather be cuddled up in the dark with a few candles, a hot chocolate, and trying to defend my king from my crafty 13 year old.I hope no matter how busy things have been or continue to be, that you can all enjoy some quiet simple moments this holiday season.Big Blessings,Kerri