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The Christmas Pivot: Road Trips, Kid Hangovers, and Part Two

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A collage showing a night-time road trip dashboard, an exhausted father resting with coffee, and a young boy opening a gift by a Christmas tree.

And with that, Christmas Part One comes to a close.

I met up with X1 about two days ago in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to do our version of “the exchange.” I really had a blast with Kid 1 (my oldest) these last few days, and I know he did too. Initially, I felt like I was forcing him to stay an extra day since he’d originally planned to stay with his cousin, but then he took the initiative and asked his mom if it was okay to push our meeting to the 26th. Knowing he wanted that extra time with me made me feel really good.

Because of some impending weather—the typical northeast mix of rain, snow, and ice—we decided to hit the road early. Kid 1 and I drove through the night, and so far, I’ve managed to dodge the worst of it.

I’m on my way back to Michigan now, experiencing a bit of that “kid hangover” on this leg of the trip. It’s quiet, of course. But the good news is that the conclusion of “Christmas Part One” means that Christmas Part Two is about to begin. I’ll be picking up Kid 2 (my youngest) tomorrow, and he’ll be with me for the remainder of my school break.

I wish I could’ve had them both at the same time this year. With Kid 1 now being over 18, it’s really up to him when—or even if—he chooses to visit during the holidays. I know now, even better than I did even two weeks ago, that he will always make time for me. Still, I would’ve loved for both boys to see each other. It just means Kid 2 and I will have to make a special trip out to Wisconsin during the school year.

I’m also really missing Veronica right now. We didn’t see each other for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; between my evolving plans and Kid 1 being a little under the weather, it was just too difficult. We’ve had longer “droughts” than this, but as we become a bigger part of each other’s lives every day, the time apart feels a little more intense.

I keep telling her, “We have all the time in the world.” Yes, I know that’s a blatant callback to something Jessica said to me back when we were dating, but I’ve always loved the sentiment. It’s funny how a phrase can travel through different seasons of your life and take on new meaning each time.

It’s Saturday morning now as I polish this up. I got home last night around 10:30 PM after another patented “Rob whirlwind” road trip. I’ve slept for a few hours, but I don’t think I’ve had 12 hours of sleep in the last four days combined.

I’m grateful for the time Kid 1 and I had together, and I’m excited for the next week with Kid 2. To me, the neat thing about “Christmas Part Two” is that it’s still exciting, but it doesn’t have all of the hype and intensity of the actual day. I get to enjoy watching Kid 2 open the gifts that “Santa and I” got for him without the hustle and bustle.

To me, that’s what the holiday season is about. I think we need these extra days after Christmas to decompress and actually enjoy things. It’s not that the 25th isn’t fun, but it comes with so many expectations and stresses. These next few days? This is just time for pure fun.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment, and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:

AI art created with Google Gemini

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