Christmas in Massachusetts

This year, Tess, Erin, and I traveled to Massachusetts to spend Christmas with Tess’ family. This was my first year spending Christmas away from my family in Arizona, and my first with Tess and Erin.

One of my hopes for Christmas in a cold place was to see some snow. As luck would have it, I woke up on Christmas Eve to find a light dusting! Erin and I couldn’t help ourselves: we rushed outside to make a few snowballs and the tiniest snow man you’ve ever seen.

We opened presents and had a lazy Christmas morning. We had dinner at Tess' parents’ house, and then went over for Christmas dessert at her cousin’s house – a truly massive family event with many extended family members attending.

The next day, Tess and I went “down harbor” for lunch and a little walk around. We stopped at Lucky Finn for a coffee, and Tess took me around to see some of her old summer stomping grounds. I asked her to help me get a good view of Minot Light, but it turns out it’s really damn far out so I only managed a little speck on the horizon.

Minot Light sits on an undersea ledge far out from shore

The sea wall along Sand Hills Beach, where Tess spent many summers

On Friday, Tess, Erin, and I went candlepin bowling at Alley Kat Lane in Kingston. Despite some initial hesitation, Erin had a lot of fun. It was my first time at candlepin bowling too, and I found it really fun! Harder than “big ball” bowling, but also more approachable because of the lighter, smaller ball. The opportunities to strategize how to use the fallen pins to your advantage add an interesting element too.

Heading into the Heeler's living room with Auntie Kathleen — Heading into the Heeler’s living room with Auntie Kathleen

On Saturday, Tess, Kathleen, and I took Erin to an immersive Bluey camp in Burlington. She had a great time building a fort out of the big cushy oversized “blocks” in Bluey and Bingo’s playroom.

Erin's first game of candlepin bowling — Erin’s first game of candlepin bowling

Danny (on the center mic) and the Old Brigade at Fox & Hound in Quincy, MA

Our last day in town, we went out to brunch at The Tinker’s Son, and went up to The Fox & Hound in Quincy to watch Tess’ cousin Danny play Irish music.

I had a lot of feelings going into this Christmas. Apart from one pandemic year, I’ve spent every year with my family in Arizona. I was worried about being in a new place with people I didn’t know well, breaking long-standing traditions with my own family, letting them down, and feeling homesick.

Everyone in Tess’ family was welcoming and supportive. Tess’ mom even got me a stocking for their fireplce with my name on it, and her dad filled it with many of the same things he gives to the rest of the family members. I also got to watch Erin experience Christmas as a kid for the first time: opening presents, playing in the snow, snuggling and reading books or watching TV together.

I was able to keep some of my family traditions too. Mom sent me a box of full of cookies; I shopped for presents for my parents and sister. And when we returned to California, I was able to have a video call with my family to open presents together.

The older I get the more see the point of Christmas to be about the relationships to family, and the sense of home and community you get from being with people you love. Despite a whole new experience, I really felt that this year. In fact, I think being in a new place, enacting different traditions, let me hold the traditions and rituals of Christmas as I’ve experienced up to now a little more loosely, and to focus on the people that bring meaning to the holiday and make those rituals happen.