Birthdays and Christmas

Birthdays at our house fall in late Autumn. The year that this happened, my father would be 91 and my husband 60.

I had planned a party for the 60th, but this was cancelled. My family came home for the week-end for low key celebrations. What a change - no partying!!!

My father had moved into a residential home during the spring and this meant that he was now well cared for. I had visited him every 2/3 weeks at "our house" prior to this move. It didn't stop me feeling as though I should see him more often, but I now couldn't drive and relied heavily on my husband.
Week-ends for us was a catch up of things that were left during the week and to prepare for the following week.
So we didn't get across as often as I would have wanted or liked.

We asked our family to make alternate arrangements for Christmas which they duly did. It felt peculiar not to have anyone around but it was the first and only time that this occurred.

My husband and I travelled to the residential home to spend time AND Christmas lunch with my father, sister and her husband. A complete but very welcome change for us.