Once in a Lifetime

You might not know this, but Disney has been full-on celebrating Christmas since November 1st. I’m talking giant Christmas trees, cookies galore, festive songs on repeat, etc. I even broke my own rule of not celebrating Christmas until after Thanksgiving by going to a Christmas party in Magic Kingdom on November 14th to see Jessie on the castle stage! Now here’s the thing: that’s a lot of celebrating Christmas, and it kind of feels like the actual day has lost significance because of that. Normally the festive season is extended through the actual holiday because of the anticipation of seeing your family or finishing the semester or having a few days of vacation. But for me this year, Christmas is just a regular Wednesday in the middle of a very busy stretch. It’s day seven of a thirteen day work week. I won’t be making a trip home to see my family. There aren’t any vacation days. In all senses, it’s a regular day, which makes it a once in a lifetime experience. And that’s exciting in its own way. Instead of spending Christmas Day at home with my family, I’m cooking Christmas dinner for my friends this evening. And then tomorrow I’m going to work as normal before taking a nap, making my family’s Christmas Eve baked brie, and heading to the candlelight service at church. Then on Christmas I’m going to FaceTime my family in the morning to open stockings, head to work for the day, then come home and FaceTime the family again for presents and Christmas dinner! Of course I would rather spend the day at home with my family, but I am also looking forward to this new experience. I get to help build Christmas traditions for families visiting Disney World for the holidays. I get to share family recipes with other cast members for our break room potluck. And I still get to see my family thanks to the wonders of technology! So this year, I’m celebrating Christmas in a way I never hope to again. Next year, I want and pray that things will be back to normal and that I will be sitting at the piano to wake my family up on Christmas morning. But most certainly, I am going to try to enjoy this year’s holiday as much as I can, though it will be different for sure! PS: And please be kind to all those working this holiday season. I’m sure they could use some extra magic and Christmas joy this time of year! PPS: Stop playing the song “Home for the Holidays” because it makes me want to rip out my radio each time it starts playing. Thanks!