Yesterday, I went to a visit with some family members for our annual Christmas gathering. Because several of us live fairly far apart, this provides us with one of only a handful of opportunities during the year to all visit together. This one, like the other ones we’ve had, was one for the memory books. Here’s a brief overview of how it went.
It took just under two hours to drive from Jacksonville to our meeting place. Once most of us had arrived, we spent a bit catching up before diving right into the food; we continued catching up while we ate. After that, I spent the remainder of the visit floating between groups, singing a few Christmas songs around the piano, and taking a bit of time by myself to recharge. My self-improvement work has helped me be more conversational and relaxed at these kinds of visits, which makes me appreciate them more and look forward to them. While I initially felt some anxiety over this visit, I did some deep breathing and relaxation exercises both on the way there and at various times at the gathering. These helped me settle down and have a smooth, pleasant visit. Around four in the afternoon, we packed up, said goodbye, and hit the road for home.
I always enjoy these kinds of visits and I’m glad that we got together just before Christmas, especially since we couldn’t have our normal Thanksgiving visit. I’ve gradually been moving away from the materialist mindset that I’ve had for most of my life and started placing much more value on experiences. These visits are the holiday memories that I’ll fondly revisit years from now and treasure more than any material gift I’ve ever received.