Christmases without Dad

CHRISTMAS

I laugh when I put up my Christmas tree. Eight pieces or so, pre-lit, done within 30 minutes (fluffing included). Yet, for YEARS I watched my Dad struggle with his…organizing the color-coded branches, wrestling the lights (usually with language equally colorful), and replacing burnt out bulbs. Why didn’t he just go buy a pre-lit tree with less than 100 parts? Who knows? But it was pure entertainment for me.

I tear up remembering how he got my mom jewelry every single year. And every year she would give the “you shouldn’t have” speech, and then she would get this very specific smile on her face- a beautiful smile that only HE could bring out. I know this because I haven’t seen it since.

I grin thinking about our Christmas dinner conversations. Dad sat at the head of the table and didn’t say much. He couldn’t. Because we were all too busy carrying on with our inappropriate dinner topics. If it shouldn’t be talked about at the dinner table, we covered it. And we would laugh and laugh and laugh. Dad would sit there shaking his head and trying not to get infected with the laughter, but he couldn’t help it. We would break him every time.

I ache to think that my children don’t get to share in these memories. Dad passed away from colon cancer 4 years ago right after my son was born. Of course Christmas carries on, but what I remember and cherish is different from what my kids know now. Things have changed. There’s a definite void in our family. An empty spot on the mantle and on the couch. An empty spot at the head of the table. An easily assembled pre-lit tree. No one shaking their heads at the head of the dinner table. We have the same traditions and yet they feel so incomplete.   In fact, I have only been home for ONE Christmas since Dad’s passing. It’s just… too hard. I have spent 4 years avoiding the truth deep down in my gut, the words I haven’t gotten the courage to come out and admit: Christmas will never be the same without Dad.

Please understand that I adore Christmas with my husband’s family! They are so fun and easy to be around. We laugh and we play ‘Just Dance’ on the Wii until we can no longer catch our breath. My 4 year-old is OBSESSED with Christmas because of the memories we have made with this crazy Rhodes clan. I acknowledge that these are the traditions and memories that my children will hold so dear to their hearts. I love this. So much. I am creating the very best Christmases I can for Bauer and Davee. But for me, it will never be the same.

Each year I wrestle to balance my grief and sorrow with the excitement and joy that my son has. Each year I carry on the traditions that I grew up with and am happy to pass down, but I bottle up the heartache of the missing piece. Each year I yearn to be home but find security in the distance.

And this year I’m doing something different. I’m being transparent. I’m getting honest with myself.

Christmas is hard. Many of us are being strong through the holidays for our families. Many of us are pushing our hurt aside because Christmas is supposed to be joyful. Many of us adore Christmas but keep waiting for it to get easier. Friends, I don’t think it will ever be the same.

If you are heartbroken this Christmas, cry with me. If you reflect on a memory that makes you miss a loved one, share it with me. My gift to myself is to unwrap and acknowledge all the feelings that come along with the holidays- the beautiful ones as well as the challenging ones. May we honor the ones that we so desperately miss and may we embrace the ones that we can still make memories with. This is how I will make it through another Christmas without Dad.

Previous articleThe Ultimate Guide to Story Time in OKC
Next articleToday I Left the House…With TWO Kids!
Anna Rhodes
Anna is an Oklahoma transplant originally from Washington state. While here for college she fell in love with OKC as well as her husband Mike. They have been married for 6 years and have 2 hilarious children- Bauer (4) and Davee (18 months). Anna enjoys hairstyling, working out, indoor soccer, Netflix marathons, and eating terrible things while her kids are asleep. Anna adores several parts of the metro but especially The Village, where she calls home, and the Mid-town area.

7 COMMENTS

  1. this is beautiful. this will be our 5th Christmas without daddy and you’re right- there is such a void. thank you so much for sharing!

    • Thanks for reading Katie. I’m glad that you were able to connect with my words. I think there are more people in our situation than we realize. God bless you!

  2. I lost my grandmother in March of 2009. Christmas was HER holiday. I haven’t been to the big family get together since. I can’t do it. I miss her terribly all the stinking time.
    We lived across the street from her and my grandfather. Every year after we opened our presents with our mom and dad. I would take some breakfast over to them and after they ate they would come over so we could show them what we had got that year. Then we would get ready to carry all the gifts for the family Christmas exchange. It would last all afternoon. I miss those times, and it could never the same without her and her cooking for 20 some odd people.

    • Thank you for sharing Laura. Your grandmother sounds like one of those women who made holidays amazing without even realizing it. I respect you so much for not putting a timeline on your grief, because I certainly feel like I have a void forever! God bless you!

  3. I didn’t want to read this, but I did anyway. Thank you for posting it. My grandparents passed away earlier this year and then my step-dad passed in August from lung cancer. This is the first Christmas without them. And it’s incredibly hard. So many traditions. I am due tomorrow with my 5th child and I hate that they are not here for it. I hate that my three youngest won’t have the memories I do of this time of year with them. It is so hard to find a new way of getting through it all.

    • Thank you for reading Rebecca. I’m so so sorry to hear about your losses. I will be thinking of you and all of the others who are struggling with conflicted emotions this Christmas. God bless you!

  4. My Daddy has been gone for just a little over a month now. My heart is still in a million pieces. I miss him so much. Thank you for sharing this with us.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here