Hi everyone, it’s me again! Today I wanted to chat about a more relatable read for many people; Christmas was different this year.
Spending time with family over Christmas if often a heartwarming and joyous experience. The holiday season provides an opportunity for loved ones to come together, share love, and create lasting memories. This year was different though. It could be due to the fact that there was not any snow on the ground, which is rare in Iowa, or that my fiancé and I decided to bring our dogs home (complete disaster lol). It could also be due to the fact that we are just getting older and Christmas will just never be the same, but it is very hard to accept that. When scrolling TikTok it makes it even more difficult as it seemed like my entire for you page was content related to this very topic. I wanted to go more into detail on this, as writing this has brought comfort to me and I am hoping to bring this comfort to anyone else who felt the same this Christmas.
Personally, this year brought many changes. I am working on a move across the country, which cannot happen until I land a job. The job market is not particularly inviting right now. I have been searching for a new job for three months, with no luck so far. My fiancé is already living in SLC and we have been doing long distance going on two months. This is not the most ideal situation as a newly engaged couple, but we are making the best out of it. I am sure that this year has brought on many changes for everyone reading this, and I am here to say that I hear and see you. Whether they were good or bad, change closes one door and opens another with more possibilities than before. I wanted to add the below picture I took while heading back to Salt Lake from Solitude Ski Resort. It reminds me how beautiful life is throughout all the feelings and changes we experience.
For Christmas, my fiancé and I went back to my hometown in Iowa. While I was happy to be home, I could tell there was something different about this year. My dad’s side came over Christmas Eve and my mom’s Christmas Day. All of the little’s were running around with smiles on their face, excited to open presents and for Santa to arrive. Typically, I try and be as involved as possible with both the little’s and the conversations going on in the background amongst the adults. This year, I just sat back and watched everything happen around me and thought how different I was this year. All the changes that I have went through and all the changes yet to come. I am not the same person I was last Christmas, which is a blessing, but it is difficult to describe being a twenty something during Christmas with your family. I am sure that if you are in any “in between” or transition phase of your life, you can relate.
Looking back and remembering all of the events that used to happen around Christmas with my parents and brother brought tears to my eyes as I realized I will never have a Christmas like that again. No going downstairs, dad with cam-corner in hand, mom with a huge smile on her face and a camera around her neck, and my brother and I eager to rip into our presents and see what kind of treasures we got that year. Christmas being different this year also makes me think about the fact that my parents are getting older. For me, that is such a hard pill to swallow and think about. It is hard for me to even fathom the thought that when I have kids, I will no longer go home for Christmas. I found my mind running in circles reminiscing the priceless memories of all the past Christmas’s while also eager to see what the future holds and what traditions my fiancé and I create with our own family.
This year was also difficult for my fiancé, Brandon, as he struggled with the fact that this was the first time in 28 years (his whole life) that he did not spend Christmas with his family. Watching him cope with this fact was difficult and it caused many thoughts to run through my head. One of them being how many more Christmas’s will I have left with my own family? This crossed my mind as we are going to have to split time between his family and mine now. On the contrary, I thought about how blessed I have been to have spent 24 Christmas’s with my family and how my fiancé was able to spend 27 with his. That right there is something to be thankful for – not many people get this luxury and are blessed with supportive families that want them to come home for Christmas and other major events. It was comforting to know that Brandon and I are going through all these changes together and are able to support one another.
While this content was not necessarily about any crazy adventure, I wanted to keep this blog as real as possible and write about a life adventure that most can relate to at some point in their life’s. I am thankful to have spent another Christmas with my family and am eager to see what the next Christmas looks like and where we will celebrate it. I am eager to see the place I will be in next year and all of the changes that go on to transform the person I am between now and then.
XOXO,
Jeslee
JesVentures ☀️ 
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