Bright Side Of Life
I'm not going to lie; I had high hopes for Christmas and New Years this year. And while my New Years plans still seem to be intact, Christmas was not what I was expecting. My "sisters", August and Arden planned to come back from Pittsburgh and Colorado on Christmas Eve. I planned to spend as much time as possible with them since I've only seen August once since she moved, and I haven't seen Arden since early fall.
Every year we get together with Mom's side of the family to make my great grandma's Christmas cookie recipe. Because of the virus, the group was a lot smaller this year. We made our cookies the Sunday before Christmas, and we were all ready to enjoy the holiday. Unfortunately, 2020 did what 2020 does.
On the Monday before Christmas, I woke up only a few minutes before Mom left for work. I went downstairs, said goodbye to her, and started working on some final edits for the book I'm planning to publish next year. My brothers Luke and Josh came home around 3:00. Now the family nicknames for Luke and Josh are "Heckle and Jeckle" because they cause shenanigans. Knowing that I couldn't get any work done with them around, I retreated to my room. Around 5 p.m. I got a call from Kid, who asked me to come over. I went over to the house and spent the rest of the night with Kid, her parents, and Aspen. The next morning I went to Kroger, worked my shift, and Mom called me when I got home.
To make a long story short, my other brother Ryan, who made cookies with us, had tested positive for Covid. A few days later my entire family was tested, and I happened to be the only one who tested negative. Because I still wanted to see the girls, I had quarantined myself in the attic since I heard the news of Ryan’s positive test. The attic has its own heating unit and full bathroom, so I'm completely isolated from my family, except when they bring me food which they leave at the bottom of the steps.
On Christmas Eve, I attended Mass virtually and then called Dad's high school best friend's family, and I wished them a merry Christmas. On Christmas morning, I woke up to a tiny lit Christmas tree near the stairs and I got a group FaceTime call from my family downstairs. We prayed the Rosary, as we do every Christmas morning. After that, I watched them open presents, then they sanitized mine and set them on the stairs for me to gather and open.
The rest of the day consisted of texting, FaceTimes, and calling family and friends, and playing a lot of guitar! The night ended with a zoom call with Mom's side of the family. We talked and sang Christmas carols for nearly two hours before we went to bed. I'm not going to say it was the best Christmas I've ever had, but all things considered, it wasn't too bad. If 2020 has reinforced anything for me, It's the idea that everything can always get worse, so no matter how hard it is, you have to try your hardest to look on the bright side of life!
I hope you had a Greattastic Christmas!
Stay safe. J. Mitchie Ulibarri
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