Editorial: Changes This Holiday Season

When you have a child, that first Christmas is magical...and so is the second, third, fourth, and so on. And then, suddenly, that little bundle of joy is a full-grown adult.

This year marked the first Christmas of my son’s adulthood. He’s out on his own, having moved to Manhattan in mid-December, and is working at the Bozeman airport. Being the newbie at work, he had to work both Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day. I texted him mid-day Christmas Eve when he got off work, asking whether he thought he could make it over. for Christmas Eve traditions with my family. He said he was exhausted and was going to bed. I said OK, but was sad, and my husband and I headed over to my parents' house - me, with a bit of a chip on my shoulder because I had no kiddo of my own to watch the Christmas magic happen with.

When we pulled up to my parents, he was there. He surprised me! And life was good again!

And when he opened his presents that night before heading home, I realized another big change - adulthood had hit him HARD. He was excited over an oven mat, pleased with kitchen knives, and stoked for socks and underwear. No more toys for my little boy. He is a man.

Christmas morning came with no Maddox waking us up, desperate to open presents from Santa - he was at work already at the airport. However, life moves you into new phases every day.

We traveled to Butte where my seven-year-old nephew was very excited about the amount of presents under the tree just for him - as well as the presents for him that came through the door with each new person arriving.

Out at the ranch, my almost one-year-old niece was more excited about the wrapping paper and the box her toy came in than the actual toy itself.

Life moves on and changes happen. Sometimes they aren’t the easiest - I’m still texting my son a heart every night when I get into bed, waiting for him to text me one back - just so I know he’s safe and warm in his own house, in his own bed. And Christmas and other holidays are going to change a lot too, more and more each year as he gets older. Soon enough Maddox will be sharing in a glass of wine or a beer alongside the rest of us, talking about his work day and his adult life.

But as much as things change, some things stay the same. He knows I am here for him every second of every day, regardless if it's a holiday or not. And getting to see the Christmas spirit through the eyes of my new little niece and my last under-ten nephew is a true joy.

Merry Christmas everyone - enjoy the little things, the big things, and all the things in between. Happy New Year!