Although my family has been through their fair share of trials and tribulations, we are truly blessed for so many reasons, except for the medical bills part. Those really chap my hide.

Our tree, with a bubble wrap skirt.

In the true spirit of Christmas, I would like to hand out gifts today to some of the people who have had a hand in making my life a pretty darn good one. These aren’t real gifts in the sense that you can hold them in your hand, because those cost money. My son has a cardiac echo in a few weeks. You do the math.

Speaking of my son, I’ll start with him:

I give you the sped-up process of medical technology, so you won’t need open heart surgery and they can fix your valve with a catheter. I’m also throwing in an endless game of chess, a couple of friends, better hearing, and less anxiety. I’m sorry about that last one. You get it naturally.

To my friend whose husband walked out on her: I give you your 20 years back. You can keep your son, though. So, bonus!

To my father-in-law and my step-mother: You and your grandson and your whacky hearts! I give you all error-free tickers.

To my sisters: No pain anywhere in your bodies, peace, strength, and improved tech skills (it had to be said).

To my husband: Less stress. Okay, this gift is really for me. Think of it like the candy I put in your stocking that I eat the day after Christmas. It appears to be for you, but it’s really mine.

To my daughter: Many more good books to read, non-raging teen hormones (another one for me!) and I’m even going to throw in a pair of UGG boots. You’re welcome.

To my friend struggling with her faith: A homily that speaks to you, hymns that speak to you, and the warmth that I feel when I’m sitting in church. Well, that last part is because they keep the heat on BOILING, but you get the idea.

To my friend and co-worker, Denise: You get a month with your grandson, Johnny Mac Pippin.

To my friend Ree: I give you half the goodness that you have brought to my family. Only half, because the whole is JUST. TOO. MUCH.

To our new friend in Key West, Toni: I give you visitors with sweet memories of your father and guests who don’t blame you for cloudy days.

To my friend and co-worker, Melisa: Because you’re Jewish, I won’t give you a Christmas present. Instead, you get the birthday present that I never sent! Also, I’m probably going to throw in a extra spreadsheet to work on. I’m a giver like that.

To the wonderful readers who visit my little spot on the internet: I give you no tragedies, healthy families, an endless supply of Corona Light (oops, sorry…that’s for me), and a stellar 2013.

Merry Christmas!

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1. Amazon is awesome because they will have all of the last minute gifts you need and ship them to you for free!

2. Very sneaky, Amazon (said in the voice of the boy in the Connect Four commercial from 1981). Because a lot of your free-shipping items have bumped-up base prices.

3. Bath and Body Works scents are lovely on their own.

4. Bath and Body Works stores are instant headache-givers because they cause nostril overload.

5. The line at Dick’s Sporting Goods on a Monday afternoon, one week before Christmas, will rival any Black Friday line you’ve ever seen.

6. Dick’s Sporting Goods will be the only place that has the item you need. *shakes fist at major sportswear company*

7. Target, you’re a jerk.

8. Okay, not really. We love you. (But, just once, I would like to get away from your check-out counters without having spent $75 when all I really wanted was a roll of paper towels. Your nail polish is very strategically placed. I’m on to you.)

9. Whole Foods is a very dangerous place to walk into with a credit card.

10. It’s never too early in the day for rum and egg nog. And you should go ahead and give your husband a double before you tell him you went to Whole Foods.

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It’s been eight days since I posted here. A lot can happen in eight days. A lot can happen in an instant.

Almost 10 months ago we had a vacation planned that was intended to be more of a celebration of life than it was rest and relaxation. That trip was canceled at the last minute because my son got sick; months worth of planning changed in a matter of hours.

Last month, when my cousin fell ill and passed away, we were determined to finish what we had started. Despite my anxiety and complete lack of risk-taking behavior *holds Zoloft tightly in hand*, I felt like it was never more important to get my kids on a plane and head off to do things they, and I, have never done.

When I heard the news of the Sandy Hook tragedy, my family and I were halfway through a visit to Key West. One minute I was sharing photos of tropical drinks on Facebook and the next I was crying in the middle of a restaurant. I didn’t want to scare my kids too badly, so I waited until they were asleep before I got on my phone and scrolled through the news. That’s when I found out that fellow blogger, Victoria, lost her nephew in this senseless act of violence.

Victoria, me and Maria in happy times. Photo by Mishelle Lane Photography.

I had tried to keep the pain at bay by distancing myself from the news, but it was no longer possible to do so. I knew someone who was directly impacted. I was connected. As my children slept, I hugged them, kissed them, and prayed for the parents who couldn’t do such things anymore. I cried for Victoria and for her family.

I didn’t watch the news on Saturday or Sunday. Instead, we did what we originally intended to do – we celebrated. When I wasn’t holding my kids tight, burying my nose into their saltwater-scented hair, and being thankful to have them near, I was watching them live the heck out of life. I have another entire post on the generosity that made all of this possible. For now, just know that my heart hurts from the goodness of it all.

We went parasailing.

This is two of us waaaaay out there. Tandem parasailing – www.keywestsebago.com

Then, while my husband and daughter stayed with the Sebago crew and went snorkeling, my son and I rode six miles out to sea on Fury’s glass bottom boat to view the world’s third largest coral reef.

This was right before I turned around and yelled, “I’m the Queen of the World!”

Glass Bottom Boat – www.furycat.com

And if I had a waterproof camera I would show you the pictures of us on Barefoot Billy’s jet-skis in the Atlantic Ocean. This is where my anxiety took a back seat to pure enjoyment of life. I had so much fun jumping over waves that my daughter was holding tight to my waist yelling, “Mom! You’re CRAZY!” It was such an amazing moment that I couldn’t tell if my face was moistened by the ocean mist or my tears; maybe it was a little of both.

But, it didn’t end there. We went on a nighttime scavenger hunt, collected seashells and splashed around in the pool.

We fed sharks, we played chess, we bellied up to a few bars and we watched the sun set.

Feeding sharks at www.keywestaquarium.com

Ordering a Roy Rogers at the Hog’s Breath Saloon

I learned that it’s okay to take risks, that if your teen daughter is really happy she might even hold your hand, and more than anything I learned to never, ever take my children for granted again.

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Although I haven’t done much shopping yet because that’s what happens when you get distracted by Silk Egg Nog, I know what I’ll be buying for almost everyone. If you’re still looking for ideas, here’s a peek at some of my favorite products this year:

Read the rest of the post here…

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