Christmas Story

Last Christmas was like no other. We watched Saturday Night Live on the weekend before the holiday, and in the morning when we woke up we had no power. Just looking at all of the downed branches outside our windows told us all we needed to know about our prospects of renewed light and heat.

We had a huge ice storm that coated everything in a thick layer of ice overnight. I put on long johns, ski socks and my warmest cosy wool pants as a base layer, followed by 2 pairs of sweats. Of course the top pair had to have pockets for flashlights. It took six layers on my top half just to cope with the inside temperature. 

Backyard Tree 

We stayed home for the duration with lots of clothes, double duvets and candles. Luckily we had hot water and our neighbour has a gas stove for coffee. The bus that normally comes past our house had to reroute because there was a fallen tree branch and hydro wires down across the road for days.

It's been a long time since daylight made such a difference, as in "Hurry, We need to get home before dark, I forgot my flashlight."

Ice is beautiful but deadly

It was Christmas Eve, 2 1/2 days later, before we had light and heat, so we headed out for our planned Christmas dinner with relatives. We started on our trip around 11:30 am, already behind schedule. By the time we picked up our cousin, and his surprisingly large extra piles of things to take along, including a thawing turkey and his walker it was starting to snow again. 

Finally we got ourselves onto the highway and almost immediately the tire pressure light went on and we had to turn back. At a gas bar we called roadside assist - it was a huge relief that they sounded so capable and promised to send a service man within an hour. 

When he arrived and checked the tire he felt that we just had a sensor problem and could continue. Such a relief! So THEN, an hour after the stop, our cousin decided to get a coffee.

As he disappeared into the store we stood watching the serviceman finish up, a young couple joined us to see what was going on. They were delighted to hear that we had a tire problem and had found help. They really did have a flat tire and were grateful to find a possible Christmas angel. The fact that one was still in PJ's might help explain their  joy.
 

Emergency guy at the gas bar

We were all ready to go at last BUT where was Cousin B?
I went after him to speed things up and grabbed his coffee to help him speed over to the car. Only then did he decide to meander into the washroom! What he was thinking all the time we waited I'll never know. So we were all waiting for him and when he came out of the washroom he inexplicably ambled around the store searching of that essential lock de-icer he had just imagined he might need for his own car back home.  Needless to say we were late for dinner.

So many things went right overall:

It was so helpful of the attendant at the Shell Gas Bar offered to turn on the air pump to help us.

We felt amazingly lucky to have Roadside Assist come out to help us on the holiday.

Christmas at last. 

We were so happy to have light and heat, not to mention a cooked turkey at the end of Christmas Day. It tasted even better than usual after freezing in the dark for days.

Having to go to bed when it gets dark really brings home the value of heat and light. It's so easy to take for granted.

Travel and Holidays with Polly. It Gets Harder With Time

I asked my friend Polly about ways her life has changed, getting older with arthritis. Christmas changes. and when you have to travel by yourself with disabilities it gets harder to do.

"Traveling...what's that?  Its been so long.  Now all of my trips are within a two hour drive and mostly to doctor's appointments.  Don't ask about the food at hotels near the hospital.

When I flew...we would always get a nonstop flight.  Those jogs and short layovers were like a marathon.  We didn’t go if there was no nonstop flight available.  Having to hang onto those skinny railings on fast shuttles to get to your next gate was always a challenge for me.  I think it is Cincinnati or Atlanta that has the buses where we had to walk outside on the tarmac and I had to get up those bus steps.  I could barely lift a leg that high then. Now I know I could not do it. I would be asking for a golf cart at the gate.  

 

Generic airport view (my own)

 

Packing medications is another obstacle. No, I'm not a senior drug dealer, I really have prescriptions....see???   The Enbrel had to go in the frozen ice pack bag.  Carrying all your medications onto the plane is quite a challenge.   And having to take off my shoes to show my arthritic feet.....lovely.  Many...oh I'm sorry's.."you poor thing".

                              a sample of my prescriptions

Disney World.....how do they expect people with our disabilities to get onto that moving assembly line for the rides?    That was a ride before the ride.  I didn’t look forward to trying to coordinate the moving sidewalk with the jump into the cars.  Or climbing down into the Pirates of the Caribbean ships.  Or the lady who did need a scooter in the Big Bear Jamboree who tried to get out of the doors at the end of the show and rolled over my right foot, hit the trash can by the door and almost took out an 8 yr old boy.  I'll take a condo by the beach any day. 

At Christmas, I don’t put a tree up anymore.  Even the easiest are tough and bulky for me.  I have a little ceramic tree that my parents had.  I'm always afraid of dropping it when I get it out of the box.  Almost "everything holidays" has gone to my daughter or the grandchildren. 

Wrapping gifts is totally out of the question.  I used to take pride in my wrapped presents.  Then they started to look like I let a 5 year old wrap the gifts.  No tight corners....fighting with the tape.  Since giving up wrapping, it's been gift cards and money for the family.   

This is the first year I'm not sending out Christmas cards.  It's too hard for me to address all those envelopes and write a little note inside the card.  My wrist starts to ache and my fingers are stiff.  I usually send out about 80-90 cards every holiday.  Stamps are expensive also.  That’s another tradition I'm not carrying over this year. 

 Holidays bring about the snowy wintery weather which is great if you're ten.  But for me, its another obstacle.  I have to pay for the snowplowing and watch my klutzy footing which is bad enough during July much less December.  I try to find rock salt that comes in a smaller and lighter bag. 

 

Now my idea of a fun evening is jammies and putting on my big fat slippers. Some days I do that right after the postman comes."