In my 17 years as a military wife, I have spent many a Christmas with my husband deployed. This time it’s different, however, because there’s a four-year-old little boy just discovering the wonders of the Christmas season and depending on me to channel my inner Santa enough to create a memorable family holiday experience.

A major attitude shift from Grinch to Santa

In previous, child-free years, I’d skip the whole business of putting up a Christmas tree and decorations when my husband was deployed. I thought I was going to get away with it this time too, until my son innocently asked me, “But mom, how will Santa find our house?” So now we have a tree with lights, ornaments and even real candy canes.

I also used to not enjoy getting Christmas cards, especially ones that just showed pictures of people’s children. (OK, I still find that annoying and want to see my friends in their photos too.) And I apologize now but some years I’d open up cards, skim them and put them right in the trash. Now, not only do I LOVE getting cards with family photos, I display them all on our fireplace mantle. And I even went out of my way to set up a family Christmas card this year for us and already sent them out.

Enjoying a family Christmas during a deployment

Besides cards, trees and decor, I’ve been making a big effort to get out and do ALL the Christmas things. We’ve already been to two tree lightings, a Polar Express event, a holiday nerd market, met Santa and made a gingerbread house. And that was all the first week of December! I feel like this is the first year my son is really going to remember things, and I’m going to give him plenty of fun things to remember.

Meeting Santa

Christmas with a husband deployed is something I’m used to, it was never really a big deal, just part of military wife life. But I can’t just coast through the holidays anymore now that we have a child. And I can’t be sad because only 1/2 of our family is here. To make up for that, I made sure we will be seeing a lot of family over Christmas break. My plan is to just keep busy, and dad will be home before we know it. We are eight months into it, only have a couple more months to go after Christmas!

I can’t wait until next Christmas, when we are all together again, but that doesn’t mean I can ignore this Christmas. Not this time. This time I’ve got embrace the holidays and try and remember what it’s like being a little kid just learning about the magic of the Christmas season.