Christmas

I feel kind of guilty writing this, because I know my kids did not have a great Christmas. But my Christmas was much more peaceful than I expected, and really, it was one of the better holidays I've had in years.

I didn't have to deal with a husband who was an ass about Christmas, but pretended he wasn't. I didn't have to deal with in-laws, and the crazy dietary restrictions that goes with them. I didn't have the stress of hosting the big family gathering.

But my kids did not get the Christmas they should have. They didn't get to celebrate Christmas the way they have almost every year since they were born. Instead, they had to divide their time between parents, and have a Christmas Day meal at their "dad's house" which is really the woman's who helped break up their family, and the one their dad walked out on them for house. Yeah, good times for my kids, I'm sure.

From what very little my kids told me, it sounds as if ex and OW tried to recreate the family celebration. Or not. Who knows? It's not like what we used to do was all that unusual. But how odd must it be for my kids to have to do a "family" celebration, with their mother noticeably missing? Does their dad have any clue about the looks of relief I saw in their eyes when they got home?