A Happy Holiday

It's been a very good holiday. Sporty, T.S., and TS' little sister (share a dad) are all celebrating with me, even though they are not Jewish. We are doing Chanukamas or Christmakah in our home I guess you could say. We have my menorah up and their tree up. There are stockings for us all, but while theirs are red and white, mine is blue and white. If we weren't a family, I would not celebrate Christmas, I certainly do not celebrate any religious connotations of it, but we are family and it's nice sharing my traditions with them and theirs with me.

Tonight was even more special, Joy and Traveler came over for matzo ball soup and latkes (potato pancakes). We all lit the menorah together. My gift tonight was a small autoethnography book and immediately Joy said, "nerd," with perfect timing. It could have been a set of Big Bang Theory. It was a very enjoyable evening and such a difference from how the holidays were inside Carswell last year.

I'm trying to send out cards to everyone who helped support me emotionally over the past several years. I made some simple cards. I've been much busier at work than I thought I'd be, so I may need to travel with it as a project. I'm okay with that. I actually have many goals for while I'm on my trip. I am going to read, work on my application, work on my thesis proposal, and write these cards. 

I'm even sending cards to people that I'm not sure want to hear from me. I guess it doesn't matter, though. I just have to try to do the right thing on my side. One person I wrote was someone who is also home but things did not end great when she left Fort Worth a few months prior to me because of this blog. People had learned about the blog and rumors spread that I was gossiping about people, using their real names, and doing really awful stuff on here. 

I have no idea if she ever looked at this blog to see what it's really about and she was certainly not the only one who turned their back on me after learning about this blog. However, I liked this woman, so I wrote her. Clean up my side of the street. Wish her well. All I can do. 

Tomorrow night will start the last day of Chanukah (Jewish holidays start the night prior). I think I'll remember this years as one of my favorites. It's not about the gifts. It's not about the food. It's that every night we are home. We light the menorah. I sing the prayer and we sing the Oh Chanukah song together and it really feels like we are together. It feels special, important, and fun. I already know that Christmas is going to be special as well. I'm so grateful to be home and relatively free for the holidays!!!