Day 19 - Extended Family Christmas

After my check up on Thursday, I made the decision and plans to travel 4 hours on Friday to my brother's home. That's because yesterday was our extended family Christmas. This is when all my aunts, uncles, cousins, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my cousins' children and also their children all get together for a Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

I look forward to this every year. The only people who are not there are the people who have passed away (my grandparents and my father). There are always lots of various conversations taking place at the same time. There is always lots of laughter. And there is always the happy sounds of children playing. There is always lots of food and it is a day of controlled chaos.

As I was heading into my stem cell portion of my treatment, I had let my cousin, who was hosting this year, know that I would not be able to make it. I expected that I would either still be in hospital or just being discharged. On Tuesday, November 14, I was feeling really good and had the kernel of an idea of attending the family Christmas. I mentioned it to Hubby and we decided to make our decision after my check up on November 16. My nurse practitioner gave me her blessing to attend as long as I ate well and stayed hydrated. I called my brother on Thursday and contacted my cousin to let them know I was making the 4 hour drive to the area and I would be there on Saturday.

On our drive to my brother's home on Friday, I fell asleep while we drove through Toronto. We had a lovely visit with my brother and sister-in-law on Friday night. I did go to bed early as I was tired and wanted to be rested for the Christmas party.

Yesterday, I awoke and had my breakfast and visited with my brother. Then it was just a time of relaxation as we waited for my son to arrive at my brother's and for my brother to go and pick up my mom. Neither my son or my mother knew I was in the area, let alone attending the family Christmas. While my brother was away to pick up my mom, my son arrived. He was very surprised and pleased to see me when he made his way into the room where I was relaxing. My mom was very surprised when I said, "Surprise!" from the bottom of the stairs as she came in the door. She had not noticed our car in the driveway. We all visited for a bit before it was time to leave for my cousin's home.

We were one of the first to arrive, so I found a comfy spot on the couch in my cousin's living room where I could see the front door. As my extended family arrived, I said "Merry Christmas!". The extended family was overjoyed to see me in attendance. We had tentatively planned to do a live video chat with me at home so that I could be part of the celebrations. Numerous family members mentioned that my being there in person was the best Christmas present. We all agreed that this was an extra special day.

I loved watching the little children play and run around. I loved visiting with my aunts and my uncles and my cousins a well as my siblings. This was a fantastic day. I ate a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I enjoyed my aunt's homemade pies. I enjoyed the casseroles for the dinner later on. I drank all the water I was supposed to. It was a fantastic day! I was very tired at the end and when Hubby took me back to my brother's home, I went right to bed. It was the first night in ages that I slept 9 hours straight. Perhaps it was too big a day, but I would do it again in an instant. Family is so important and it is worth making a long trip to see them all.