So, my first wedding anniversary is right after Christmas and my wife and I will be alone on separate continents. We didn’t plan it this way, but it turned out just as we planned.
We celebrate both Hannukah and Christmas, so at least we’ll have a couple of days of Hannukah before they leave. I’m quite conflicted doing both holidays, but I’ve had to let that one go–part of the compromises of marriage and a strong-willed, stubborn wife. Or course, I’m not the least bit stubborn.
My son’s Bar Mitzvah gift was a trip to Japan, as he’s obsessed with Japanese manga, is ¼ Japanese, and this was his fantasy. He’s been studying the language via Rosetta Stone and can already ask “how much?” and “where is the bathroom,” so he should do just fine.
My older son and I will be in the mountains, hopefully skiing, if there’s finally enough snow. I don’t like being separated on the big holidays but the economics just dictated it this year. To do the kind of trip my son and wife wanted, in Japan, was just too costly for me to come along.
I won’t declare it was a terrible sacrifice making the choice for her to accompany my son, as I’m the more finicky traveler and I’ve been to Japan and Hong Kong before. Oh, we’ll be apart for New Year’s, too! They’ll be watching the fireworks in the harbor in Hong Kong! Opening a bottle of champagne with my 16-year-old and his girlfriend is not quite the same as being with my wife, if my son will even be around me at all on New Year’s. But, what do I know; I’m just a guy.
Note: I’m presently skiing and loving it, my older son stayed home (last minute bail-out), and my wife and younger son are having a FANTASTIC time in Japan. We chat on Facebook every day. While I hate being apart, I think it worked out terrific for everyone.
