I’m generally not a negative person, but this holiday has not been one of the finest for my family. So far:

• I crushed one of my feet in a Vespa accident while in Florence, Italy for my 25^th wedding anniversary trip.
• My father-in-law fell in his apartment and was rushed to the medical center.
• My sister-in-law fell outside her home and sprained an ankle.
• My dog went into the vets for a biopsy and came out minus a chunk of her tummy.
• My mother fell in her apartment and was rushed to the ER.
• My daughter crashed her car.
• My husband, who never gets sick, got really sick and spent the last days remaining to shop in a bed.
• I got what he had and am carrying forth the family hacking, coughing and dizziness.

Because of the anniversary trip, we got started very late on holiday shopping/planning/decorating, which squeezed our schedule even tighter this year. But the main reason I’m feeling holiday blues is that it’s been a steady pounding. Just as we’ve dealt with one crisis, another falls on our heads. It’s been an endless stream of “oh noooooooo’s!”

But you know what? I may be singing the blues but it’s not a dirge. Why should it be? After all,

• The foot thing happened on the last day of my trip. It could not dampen my new-found passion for Paris and for Italy. I am on crutches, but managed my holiday shopping without a physical visit to a store. That wouldn’t have been possible a decade ago.
• My father in law was not seriously hurt and the crusty old goat seems to be doing fine. He has finally been convinced that the help his family has arranged may be necessary and that he should be using a walker.
• My sister-in-law was bedridden for a couple of days but is now moving around with the help of an ace bandage. Meanwhile, I’ve nicknamed the two of us, the Gimp Girls.
• The growth on the dog was not cancer.
• My mom suffered only a cut to the head that required a stitch as well as some sore bones.
• My daughter’s accident was mostly a fender bender and even though it was her fault, she wasn’t charged.
• My cold is physical proof that my husband loves me so much, HE’LL SHARE EVERYTHING.

So, I’m grabbing my crutches and my cough drops and limping downstairs to finish my wrapping. That is … if I don’t go tumbling down the steps.

–Genilee Swope Parente