If I learned anything from the pandemic era, it was to not take anything for granted. That’s especially true for spending time with loved ones, whether friends or family.
Last night, Sarah and the boys and I spent Christmas Eve at my cousin’s house here in Omaha. Much of my family was there. We’ve lost quite a few members of the family since 2020, so these sorts of gatherings hold more all the more significance for me. I promise you, I do not take them for granted.
After dinner and towards the end of the night, I was sitting next to my cousin Luke. With most of the family congregated in the living room, it was easy to sit back and appreciate the moment we were experiencing. It’s hard for me to keep such joy to myself, so I leaned over to Luke and said that “This is the good stuff. These are the good ol’ days.”
It’s good to be able to recognize the good ol’ days when you’re living in them. To give those specific moments the notice they deserve. Rooms filled with laughter and storytelling. Little girls running around playing as cats. Crab legs boiling on the stove. The smell of butter and garlic and potatoes wafting from the oven. Cocktails being enjoyed around the fire pit on the back patio, weather unseasonably pleasant and near 50 degrees; a fog giving us a particular kind of white Christmas.
There are particular moments that I want to pause and remember: My aunt explaining our family tree to Ezra. Micah exploring and appreciating the architecture and appliances of the home. Me helping Micah crack open his King Crab, with my Uncle John discussing the differences between crab and lobster with Ezra. Ezra playing Ben Folds on the piano in the living room at the end of the night, a piano allegedly once owned by Karen Carpenter. My cousin’s daughters telling me they were cats, and on a mission, and that they had “found the enemy…the DOG!”
Omaha was where I’d travel to for the holidays when I was young. Not every year, but many of them. Usually we’d drive out for the 4th of July, but sometimes for Christmas. I would gather with many of these same people as a kid. Omaha has been my home now for over ten years, but the excitement of gathering with them hasn’t faded in the least. And to have my children here with me and interacting with them is almost more than my heart can contain. I love it so much.
With our boys being 13 and 11 now, I know they’ll likely remember these gatherings fairly vividly. That also makes me happy. Such a gift to have wonderful memories of the holiday season with family. Not everyone gets that.
And so I return to the recognition of these being the good ol’ days. Even though my own parents weren’t there in the room last night, I can still text them or talk with them to see how their days were. My friends around scattered around the country are all spending time with people they know and care about, and we make sure to check in with each other to wish each other well and Merry Christmas.
So I pay attention to these moments and am astonished and overwhelmed with joy. And so in the midst of it all I make sure to snap a few photos to hold onto these moments well into the future. They are special to look at now, but they feel like gifts to us all when we want to look back on the good ol’ days.
Stepping Back 