As early as September, I’ve been planning how our Christmas will be. I am more excited this year, since it will be our second born’s first Christmas. I had my Christmas shopping completed early and even planned outfits for everybody. Excitement was an understatement. I was ecstatic!
But fate has its ways of surprising you and totally taking you off course. 8 days before Christmas, our little baby was confined at the Pediatric ICU (PICU) because of broncho pneumonia; his second pneumonia confinement for the year (the other one was just last September). What we thought was just a day or two stay at the hospital turned out to be a ten day (and counting) confinement. His pneumonia is more difficult and more challenging than the previous one. And because his condition is not anywhere near good, his doctors confirmed to us that he will have to spend his very first christmas in the hospital.
Upon hearing the confirmation, I shed tears of sadness for our family. We ought to be together at home on Christmas day. With everything that our baby went thru this year, he deserves to be with his family on Christmas day, and the realization that it will not happen this year really broke my heart. To make things even more challenging for us, our baby had his two most terrifying asthma attacks on Christmas eve and Christmas day. I was beyond scared. I was shaken.
With our baby’s condition, many would ask, how can there be Christmas? As much as our situation is difficult, the whole experience humbled me. I felt that it allowed me to see the real essence of the season. Because when times are hard, all the glitz and glamour of the Yuletide season is shed. Gifts became less of a priority, grand festivities are no longer necessary. Things became simple and only the very important aspects of Christmas are left, and that is love, family, faith and most of all Jesus Christ. Christmas is not about us, it is about Him. Christmas day is all about Jesus Christ. It is a celebration of His life and what it stands for to save us. We celebrate because we honor and we love Him; despite the situation that we are in.
Despite the difficult challenge our family faced this year, yes Christmas was very much celebrated. Different, yes it is, but definitely more meaningful. I am still greatful to the Lord because we have our sons with us; we have our families; we have each other. We are still blessed.
As early as September, I’ve been planning how our Christmas will be. I am more excited this year, since it will be our second born’s first Christmas. I had my Christmas shopping completed early and even planned outfits for everybody. Excitement was an understatement. I was ecstatic!