The Holidays During a Military Deployment

The holidays have always been a big part of my life growing up. When I got married and started a family, I always planned to have my family with me to celebrate the holidays. This year the holidays are not as I envisioned them. I still put up my Christmas tree and braved the holiday shopping crowds on Black Friday. I try to get into the holiday spirit, but it is hard to celebrate wholeheartedly when my husband is fighting for our country in Iraq.

This holiday season is not the first for my husband to miss. Our very first Christmas, as a married couple, he was over in Iraq, but came home for a visit two days after Christmas. This time around, we have two young children who are just starting to understand what Christmas is all about and I am saddened because my soldier is missing out.

Even though my husband is in the military and serving overseas, we still find ways to celebrate the holiday season together. I sent my husband box after box filled with items he wanted and some items to let him know I was thinking of him. He continues to be proactive in helping me find great gifts for our daughters by searching the web and instant messaging me. I searched high and low for one specific gift for our oldest daughter because he wanted her to have it. If he were not in Iraq, I probably would not have gone to the extremes to find this gift for her. By him helping out, it makes him feel closer to home, rather than in some foreign land serving in the military.

Since my husband is deployed, I have had to do all the preparations for the holidays alone. I had to find a tree and decorate it by myself, as my children are too young to help set it up. I could not even do my gift shopping for my daughters, as I had hoped, because I had to take them with. It is hard to imagine this Christmas without my husband setting up the toys and making sure everything is perfect for his little angels. This year it is up to me to make everything perfect. Some days I would rather cancel the holidays and wait until my husband returns from his deployment, but life does not stop because half of your heart is halfway around the world serving our military.

When asked what I would like to receive for Christmas, I told my soldier I did not want anything, except his safe return home next year. How can I possibly expect this man, this soldier, to give me a gift this holiday season, when he has given me the ultimate gift of love and sacrifice?

Having a family member overseas during the holidays is bittersweet. Having a family member serving in Iraq, during the holidays, has made me realize how lucky I am to even be able to celebrate the holidays.

I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas!