Our usual kind of Christmas is to meet with our family whenever it suits most of them to have our family Christmas celebration. We open our gifts at that time and our gifts to each other on Christmas day. This year was different.

Fortunately we started our shopping for our family early. Donn always requests lists from the family by Thanksgiving but “Thanksgiving” may be anywhere from early in November to a little later.

This year “Thanksgiving” was on November 15. I messaged the family that even though our Thanksgiving celebration was early, we still wanted lists by our Thanksgiving since we had an unusually busy November.

A day or two later, we got lists from one of our grandson’s and his fiancee. We were delighted and got started shopping right away and got lots of lists on or soon after our Thanksgiving. Thankfully, we had most of our Christmas shopping done for family before the flu hit.

It hit Donn first and since he had a check up appointment, he actually saw our primary CRNP who diagnosed him with the flu. He said, “If you are still sick in a week, call me.” So I took care of Donn, who had a terrible cough, for a couple of days. I had a very small cough and thought I had gotten by easily until Thursday when I started throwing up.

Donn quickly declared himself “well” and started taking care of me. I had no appetite and ate nothing except a bite or two of crackers and ginger ale to take my normal medicines. I slept pretty much continuously. Needless to say, I wasn’t doing any Christmas shopping for Donn or anyone else.

By Sunday evening, Donn was concerned and took me to the ER. Diagnosis Type A flu. My discharge papers said I should see my primary within three – five days. When I called his office, I learned that I could see him in January! I said “Never mind.” For the next week, I continued to eat very little and sleep most of the time.

By the next weekend, Donn was ready to take me back to the ER. The PA did all kinds of tests and the diagnosis was the same… the flu. They told us to tell our primary that I was to see him at the first possible appointment. Donn called this time and was more persistent. I had an appointment that evening.

I didn’t get in until what would have been his normal quitting time, but he listened and asked us questions. Finally he said, “This has gone on too long to be the flu.” He  gave me an antibiotic which was a lengthy process because I’m sensitive to so many. He took his time. Again he was patient and kind. I began to get better.

Now we were very near our family Christmas celebration time. I had bought nothing for Donn—although we were closing in on being ready with our kid’s and grandkid’s gifts. I wasn’t even going to the store by myself yet.

One of our daughters and her husband planned to come early to help clean the house, and we would pick up Sarah by noon. Donn recognized that I was feeling overwhelmed that I had no gifts for him, and he decided that we wouldn’t open our gifts to each other until New Year’s Day.

So maybe for the first time in our 55 years of marriage, we didn’t open our gifts to each other on Christmas Day. It was a strange feeling. I felt like I didn’t know what to do on Christmas Day but we bought a rotisserie chicken and potato salad the night before to have a slight celebration.

We bought gifts for each other and wrapped them between Christmas and New Year, and opened them on January 1, 2026, the day after our first date, December 31, 1964. And even though it wasn’t Christmas Day, Donn got out his Ipod to play our song which we listen to every Christmas… The Greatest Gift of All by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Verses one and two of this song end by saying “…knowing you’re in love with me, is the greatest gift of all.” (Verse three says Peace on earth, good will to men is the greatest gift of all.) As always, this song leaves me a bit weepy, as I thank God for the many years He has given us to love each other.

When we finished listening, Donn said, “But they got it wrong. The greatest gift of all is Jesus.” He’s right, of course, because regardless of what day we open our gifts, the greatest gift God has given us is the gift of His son, Jesus. He is the greatest gift of all.