Christmas Phone Call

Our Christmas day was a little crazy. The morning was spent opening presents, showering, getting kids and myself ready, chopping vegetables and making dip, trying to drink my coffee before it got cold, etc... I kept waiting for my dad to call (Mike, the dad who adopted me as a baby). He pretty much calls me on every holiday to say hello. Finally at 11 am I called him and gave him a hard time for not calling me. He laughed and said he was just about to. We finally got everything ready and left, and we were a half-hour late for the family get-together in Spring Valley. It's my dad's side of the family and it's huge. There's at least 50 people; my grandma, my dad's brothers and sisters, my cousins and their families. Every year we rent out the community center because nobody has a house big enough to hold everyone. When we arrived people were just starting to eat and I was stressed, carrying Grace and all the food and trying to get everything organized. I got food for Grace and Garrett and myself (averting my eyes from the gutted out carcass of a dead turkey) and sat down at one of the tables. I took a deep breath, trying to relieve some of the stress I was feeling, and my cell phone rang in my coat pocket. Confused, I looked at it and saw that it was my dad, who was sitting way down the long table from me. I smiled and answered it.

"I just wanted to say that this was the first time in 32 years that you have beat me to calling you," he said.
"I know..."
He said I should look at him when I'm talking to him. I looked down the table at him and waved. He gave me one of his smiles that warms my heart.

Most of my Christmas was nice, seeing family members and stuff, even amid the chaos. I got some nice things; an mp3 player and Bob Dylan CD from my husband, some really funky socks from Grace, a butterfly necklace from Garrett and some lounging pants from Drew. I still have a couple of families to see this weekend for more presents and food. I have enjoyed filling up my mp3 player with good music, reading my book and watching movies with my kids and my husband. But the phone call from my dad was one of the best parts of the entire holiday.