Happy Holidays - My Oprah Story of Family Togetherness

And we all blinked, and Christmas was over....... doesn't it always just seem like that? Many weeks of thinking about it all and then it is over in a flash. I was away and without internet access - so to everyone, I send belated loving thoughts and warm wishes.

So - here is my holiday story. I might not tell all the story today - but enough so you can ponder it and revel in the craziness and wonder of it all. I spent the Christmas holidays with my two children (plus boyfriend of my daughter, who I had never met), Miguel (ok, so far so good, right?), my 88 year old mother (oh oh, now it is sounding a little more manic)......as well as my ex-husband and his girlfriend (see I told you so)......all at a chalet in Whistler, BC.

It is the second time we have actually managed a complete family holiday - the first happened on my daughter's 21st birthday (when we all met in Las Vegas). But this time, we all stayed under one roof and had 5 days of quality time together. Here are some things that might help you understand this crazy phenomenon. I have been apart from my husband for over 19 years (so somehow all the anger, disappointment, hurt has substantially dissipated), our children live far away from us (and we only have a limited time to see them each year) and we want to see our children as often as we can and not have to split time with them artificially. So - the only way to do that is to have a holiday together.

Are you with me so far? This can be done people........yes, it can. Everyone was on excellent behaviour - everyone knew that this was an exceptional and unique time. Last year at this time, Miguel was in Wichita in the middle of brutal cancer treatment and he couldn't be with us - next year, who knows what will happen? If we couldn't make a few days of Christmas magic, then phooooey on us...... so we did make Christmas magic.

Oh yes - one more thing. The parental units had declared that it would be a "no present" Christmas. Of course, no one must have read the memo......there were small little stocking treats for everyone. The kids enjoyed skiing and snowboarding - my mother enjoyed being in the middle of a big party.....we played some excellent games (I'll tell you about them in another blog post)....we lost our turducken virginity (another blog post)....we traveled safely and we were warm, well-fed and together. A modern Christmas miracle.......

This round table, perfect for a modern family - two kids, an American boyfriend, two parents with their partners, an 88 year old grandmother....