12/26/2024 8:03 AM
Listening to: "Keep Me" by Novo Amor
Before getting into my own Christmas, I wanted to spend some time talking about one of my favorite Christmas TV episodes. That's right; I am of course talking about Boy Meets World. More specifically, I'm talking about episode 11 from season 6, "Santa's Little Helpers." There are a couple story lines going on during this episode, including Topanga and Cory scheming to get Angela and Shawn back together, but this is a distraction from all things good about this episode.
The spotlight, in my opinion, belongs to Eric as he accepts a job as Santa at a department store. (Jack and Rachel join him as Mrs. Claus and an elf) It doesn't take long before Eric decides he wants to spoil an entire bus of children without parents (or money) when they arrive to meet Santa. This storyline has just the right amount of humor, but ultimately results in an amazing story arc for Eric as he meets one of the kids named Tommy. Eric finds himself attached to Tommy and heartwarmingly invites him back to the Matthews' to celebrate Christmas with his family. For anyone that is familiar, I think we see the best in Eric during the subsequent episodes as we see him develop a relationship with Tommy and (spoiler alert) come extremely close to adopting him. Throughout this story arc, we see how this show finds that perfect balance between humor, relatability, and serious real-world issues. If you haven't seen this, I encourage you to head over to Disney+ and give it a whirl!
Okay; back to reality! This year I was faced with my first Christmas without my kids as it was my ex wife's turn to have them for Christmas week. I'll first begin by sharing my gratitude for her because she offered that I could take them to my brother's house on Christmas Eve this year. It may not seem like much, but it's moments like that where I feel we're partnering exceptionally well and prioritizing the kids first.
We had a really great time at my brother's house. The evening was filled with delicious food, a great movie (Home Alone), and even better company. Not only were the kids really well behaved, but they even cooperated for a photo or two. Gotta take the wins when we get 'em! Both of them were really excited about their gifts. I would be remiss if I didn't mention & share the hillariously wonderful gift that my daughter made for me. She is definitely my kid!
After family time was over, I was fortunate enough to spend the better part of the next 24 hours with some good friends. We gathered to play Super Mario Party Jamboree, enjoy no shortage of snacks, we made a trip to Waffle House, and courageously ended it all with a viewing of the extended version of Return of the King. I knew it was going to be tough, but being surrounded by friends on my first Christmas Day without my kids made it all the more manageable.
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