The Christmas Surprise

The boys are less children and more young men now. Christmas is less about Santa Claus and more about having a nice morning with cinnamon rolls, opening presents, and having a big break breakfast of eggs, Polish sausage, and toast. Our family is no longer little kids with all of the exuberance and excitement of Christmas mornings that they had when they were 7, or 5, or even 10 years old. It is a bit of sad reality that makes one look forward to grandparenthood.

This year we tried one last time to capture some magic for Christmas. The boys came down to find two massive presents under the tree - well, actually next to the tree because they gifts were so big.  The last presents to be opened, they tore through the paper and into the cardboard boxes to find...luggage. Luggage?!  TJ thought the luggage was a gift for our future Spring Break trip to Mexico. However, Grant picked up on the fact that there was something inside the bags and opened it up to find another wrapped present! They opened it to find a "Boarding Pass" for a Disney Cruise on the Disney Wish...departing in twenty-four hours. 

With the help of two cameras recording the moment, the shock, bewilderment, confusion and, ultimately, joy, was captured forever.  

We packed and were on the road to Port Canaveral in less than three hours. And for the first time on a Disney adventure, TJ took time behind the wheel. We stopped at Buc-ee's for lunch and ran into our longtime friends, Alec, Tammi, and Tucker Newton. After linking up with Andy to drop off some pulled pork for dinner on the return trip, we found ourselves having Christmas dinner at a Waffle House in Orange Park, FL. A Waffle House full of stragglers, emo teenagers, and a scruffy old Vet reminded us how good we have it as a family. 

Tuesday morning, we boarded the ship as a Cast Member announced "welcome, the Brown Family!" Months prior to the cruise we trolled the boys by making them watch a Disney documentary about the construction of Disney Cruise Lines newest ship, The Disney Wish.  Walking onboard seemed very familiar!  As is everything with Disney, the attention to detail to even the little things were incredible. From light fixtures, to wallpaper, to the art on the walls, the ship was magnificent. 

They had a Star Wars Lounge! They had two small movie theaters (one of which Grant got is wish to watch the movie "Wish" onboard The Wish). There was an aqua-coaster, basketball court, pools, water slides, and lots of little places to eat and drink.  The boys were never bored.  We spent an overcast day on Castaway Cay, snorkeling - and meeting Barracuda, paddle boarding, and earning our Castaway Cay 5k medals. The main theater had a couple of notable shows, the best being a musical version of Aladdin.

In standard Disney fashion we ate in three different restaurants: the 1923 Roy Disney, the Avengers Lab (with Ant Man, Wasp, and Falcon), and Arendell (the Engagement Party between Anna and Kristoff). Arendell was our favorite because of the live music, character interaction, and theming - plus it's Lisa's favorite movie to sing along to.  

And then there is a moment that bridges the gap between having kids and raising young adults. On the ride down I mentioned to the boys that their "Boarding Passes" would make a cool keepsake to have Mickey Mouse sign them.  Both boys balked at standing in line to have a person in a costume sign something. To them, that was something they did years ago and outgrew.  

On the last night, Grant, Lisa and I went off to watch a movie and TJ went and did his own thing. We all met up under the big chandelier in the main hall to watch the clock strike midnight. Upon returning to our room the two boarding passes were on the bed, signed by Mickey Mouse.  We were truly dumbfounded. The only logical explanation was that our room steward signed them or took them to be signed by a Cast Member with right (write?) penmanship.  And then this grin passed over TJ's face.  To our surprise, he grabbed the passes and stood in line for Mickey to sign them, and quickly returned them to the room. We got a little misty eyed to be sure.   

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Movies

Up for a new tradition for the holidays? Try creating a list of twelve Christmas movies in twelve days! Including Samantha and Mitch, we each got two movies to add to the list. No one argued what movies were on the list, although we debated whether or not Die Hard was a Christmas movie. It turns out that it is according to a film historian.  However, we removed Love, Actually for The Little Drummer Boy because there was a whole lot more sex in the movie than Lisa realized. 

It was fun sitting down each night to stick with watching one each night from December 13 to Christmas Eve. Even Grant stuck it out for twelve straight nights!  Actually, I saw some movies that I have never watched all of or watched in decades; Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Little Drummer Boy. Unlike today, in the days of streaming services, forty years ago you paid attention to the TV section of your newspaper to see Santa Claus is Coming to Town or you waited another year.  

We saved the list so we don't repeat next year. And with so many Christmas movies, it will be decades before we have to start over! 

  

T'was the Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house. 

The luminaries were lit along the roadside  at the behest of my spouse. 

The house was clean and the rooms upstairs became quiet.

This is so much better that previous year's riot.

We don't do reindeer food or cookies and milk by the fireplace. 

Yet, there is something to be said for a good helping of chilled Buffalo Trace.

The last of the presents were placed under the tree.

In hopes that in the morning, Christmas magic might still spring free.

While we search for peace in the world with all our might, 

There is peace in this small home tonight.

To borrow a line from my favorite Christmas tale that has been spun, 

"God bless us, everyone."

 

A License for Anxiety

This is a new chapter in the family journal; one filled with anxiety and trepidation. 

TJ is now a licensed driver in North Carolina and can drive on his own. Very few things should scare a parent more than a teenager with a license and a vehicle.  I know that from the moment that he pulls out of the driveway until the moment he parks the car at home that I will worry.  

From my younger years as a Trooper I have seen the results of accidents where teens were at the wheel. A common saying then, and now, "What's more dangerous than one teenager in a car? Two."  According to the CDC, "accidents (unintentional injuries)" remain the highest cause of teen mortality. As a parent you spend a decade and a half protecting your kids from the things that can harm them. You baby proof the outlets in the house. You watch them on the playground before they climb too high. You don't let them play in the driveway without making sure they don't chase a ball into the street. With some kids, watching them is a full-time job. Then, one day, your legacy, your future, your progeny can go out on their own in a car.  You ask yourself if you have done enough to prepare them, and the answer is usually, "No."

When TJ started driving, I was the main parent who sat next to him. for the most part I remained cool and collected. One time while we were driving on I-40 to the beach I noticed we were going fast but I couldn't see the speedometer. I casually asked TJ how fast we were going. With his hands at the "ten and two" position he quickly glanced down and back up and said, "85."  I gently, but firmly suggested that he back off to about 75mph.  I have only had to yell twice, with one of those times scaring him because he failed to see the car coming at him that he was about to pull out in front of. He was sacred enough that his eyes welled up - despite him trying to brush it off with, "Dad, I got it."  Again, have I done enough to prepare him?

Lisa, ever the smart one to leverage technology, found an App that tracks all of the family members but more importantly, gives the speed at which people are driving and notifies you if there is an abrupt stop indicating a crash. Now we can track TJ behind the wheel and hold him accountable when he returns home. I know there are video cameras and other technology we can add to the car for both safety and accountability.   

It will take a couple of years before TJ has the confidence of driving; driving in the dark, rain, heavy traffic, and long distances. His confidence will be commensurate with my anxiety easing up - but never really going away.