My friend recently shared with me that after making plans for her mother and father to come to her house for Christmas, they unexpectedly changed their mind and told her they weren’t coming.
The original plan was that one of her adult children would pick her parents up and make the hour drive to her house. They would stay a few days and join their daughter celebrating Christmas Eve with extended family a town over and then spend Christmas at her home with her family.
This had been their holiday ritual for years. As an only child, she looked forward to sharing holiday traditions with her parents.
My friend sounded so disheartened as she explained to me that her parents are in their late 80’s and may not have many more Christmas where they would be healthy enough and capable of visiting her home.