This morning, I loaded my kid in the car and waited in line for both of us to get tested for COVID. Everything seemed to be ok, I was dreading having a stranger stick an extra long Q-Tip into the back of my nasal cavity, so I put on some relaxing video game music and remembered the good ‘ol days building Sim dream homes or slaying dragons. Then I heard a faint cry coming from the back seat, I turned around and watched my son regurgitate his entire breakfast all over himself! Over and over. Fuck. Like a complete idiot, I forgot to pack a change of clothes and only had Kleenex to steady the tide of spew. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t work, but I was stuck and spent the next hour with the windows partly done to clear out the smell. Once I got home, I chatted with a friend who sent me the following message: “I think Christmas at my brother’s is fucked.”
It certainly seems to be going that way. Last year’s holidays were spent huddling around my husband’s laptop over Zoom. The overloaded system crashed a few times and frankly, it was a piss poor way to spend what used to be the biggest holiday of the year for gathering with friends and family.
Given how much the current variant Omicron is spreading, it’s looking very likely then that this Christmas 2021 will probably go down the same way. After hosing my kid off and giving him a bit of food, I messaged my visiting family asking them if they could also get tested before arriving. They haven’t replied yet. Maybe they’re too busy, I’m not sure. I do hope they consider at least registering online soon though; It took two days for me to get an appointment, and I’m not sure when our results will be available, and seeing how sick my son is right now, I’m frankly worried that it might be COVID or worse.
Our house is decorated, the tree and stockings are up, along with some outdoor lights and a wreath. Most of the presents have been purchased, and are all ready to be unwrapped. I was going to tackle the giant turkey, while my husband was going to make his traditional Tofurkey, and other people promised to help by bringing foods, snacks and desserts. Things are bad in the world right now and have been since last year, but I wanted Christmas to be a day where we try to remember how lucky we are to have each other in this pandemic. It’s hard to get that same feeling frankly over Zoom.
Adulting with ADHD 