Christmastime in a Fire Family can look really different. Sometimes your firefighter is home on those special occasions, but more often they are not. Be it birthdays, Easter or Christmas, the chances that your firefighter will be working say when it is your Aunt Tracey’s Christmas Lunch, or your friends are hosting a dinner to celebrate the season are pretty high. This is the way it is and of course your partner will switch a shift with someone for those very special occasions like your kid’s hockey or lacrosse tournament! Lol.
My husband like yours will sometimes work at Christmas. That is the way it is. However, it’s a profession they chose, and they will be making the best of it cooking with their crew in-between sad calls. (Trust me, they cannot wait to get home to see you and the kids).
When my husband first became a firefighter, our children were very small. However, I started a tradition with them that is probably my most favorite tradition to date:
The Company Christmas Party, With Your Kids
At the time of this newly minted tradition, I was a stay-at-home Mom, however, I used to work downtown and missed those fancy lunches our firm used to treat us too every Christmas to celebrate.
It was in a moment of longing and remembrance that I decided to have our own Company Christmas Party! Just me and my boys! I’d book it on a night my hubby was working, and the kids and I would head to downtown to Vancouver, go look at all of the beautiful Christmas lights, take in a nice dinner, stay in a beautiful hotel overnight, visit the gift shop, then go for a McDonald’s breakfast the next day. My boys and I would toast each other to another great year and have the absolute best time together.
When your firefighter is working over the holidays, don’t hole up at home and feel sad for your kids and family because Christmas in your home does not look like other people’s Christmases. Enjoy it and make the best of it by creating new traditions with your family.
The Life Lesson
There is a great life lesson in not pining over your firefighter when they have to go to work on Christmas. It’s about turning lemons into lemonade, and it is about teaching your kids that you don’t wait for happiness – you create it wherever you are and with whoever you are lucky enough to be with. There is a lot of personal power in creating your own happiness and you will see that unfold in the years to come. Take your Christmas by the horns and treat your family to something wonderful. The spirit of Christmas is not cookie cutter. It is a feeling, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Embrace it!
Written by : Tara McIntosh
