A Christmas Travel Story
When our kids were young, we used to travel to my in-laws to spend Christmas. It was good to have our kids build Christmas memories around grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was also good that the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins got to see how our kids experienced Christmas at a young age. There’s no replacement for that. What there IS a replacement for, however, were the travel problems you get into at that time of year. At the very least, those problems gave us plenty of travel stories. Here’s maybe the best one.
We had booked our flights for the morning of Christmas Eve, thinking that any potential weather problems were easier to deal with earlier rather than later. Sure enough, there were all sorts of ice, snow, and other plagues all over the country. Just after we arrived at the airport, our flight got delayed. First 30 minutes, then an hour, then two…then it got canceled. That’s ok, we thought, we can get on another flight. Not so. All the other flights were booked. We’d have to fly the next day, on Christmas. But here’s the best part: the airline representative cheerily told us, "We couldn’t get you on the plane, but we were able to get your luggage on the plane."
You. Did. What?
That’s right, we wouldn’t be there Christmas Eve, but our luggage sure would be. No, no, no, my husband told her. You don’t understand, Santa was in that luggage. If we’re here and the luggage is there…that’s a problem.
So we set about trying to get the luggage sent back to us by evening. And it didn’t work. The last flight back arrived at 8 pm that Christmas Eve, and no suitcase. Now we’re in disaster mode. Maybe we tell the kids that Santa thought we would be at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house and left the presents there? Nah…we couldn’t stomach the thought of them coming downstairs on Christmas to nothing but a story. But then I thought…I had my Christmas list all written out. A list of all the presents that were in that luggage. I think we might be able to duplicate these gifts.
So there my husband is at 8:30 pm, at Toys-R-Us, reproducing that list. After the luggage didn’t come, I texted him the list and he went straight there from the airport. Toys-R-Us closed at 9, so maybe he could get all of it. And he did, but only because he found a Christmas angel, an employee that took him around the store and found each and every one of the presents. Without that employee, I don’t think my husband could have found half of it before the store closed at 9. Truly an angel. And when our kids came downstairs on Christmas morning, Santa had indeed visited. We got an afternoon flight that day, and although the kids were disappointed they didn’t get to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s on Christmas morning, Christmas evening was just as good.
Our kids are a few years older now, and things are different. Not as much of the family gets together during the Christmas season as they used to. Some can make it, some have other places to be, and some are spending it in heaven. Still, we continue to go, and we went this year. But do you know when our flight was? December 27. Not doing that Christmas Eve thing again!!
