Mil-Spouse at Christmas

Today's topic: You might be a military spouse at Christmas...

This sort of question makes me feel a bit like an interloper. Why? Well, I haven't had to spend the holidays away from Chaplain Hubby. We've always been together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've had to share him, of course--with the church, the chapel, and the whole community--but that's not the same thing.

I think it'll be easier to list what I've experienced as an active duty chaplain's wife the past four Christmas seasons:

• a bit more liturgy, formality, and finding beauty and Truth in it
  
  
• Advent, with people who actually know what it is! (it's more common in Baptist churches now than it was when Chaplain Hubby was a pastor, but for years we seemed to be the ones teaching about what Advent is)
  
  
• packed Christmas Eve services, by candlelight
  
  
• Seeing camouflage in the congregation and not thinking twice about it
  
  
• singing Point of Grace's "O Holy Night" as a trio, hitting each note perfectly (and I miss my girls Tiffany and Christine this year...)
  
  
• parties, parties, parties!
  
  
• Leaving the parties early so people don't feel guilty about all that drinking in front of the chaplain...
  
  
• Did I mention parties? Each one begins with an invocation, so we get a lot of invites...
  
  
• baking cookies to give to the single airmen
  
  
• ornament exchanges, where the women steal the airplane ornament more than any other one!
  
  
• Learning that many families do not get together with extended family, because duty keeps them close to base. And that's acceptable.

That is only a partial list, but I think it gives you an idea of what makes Christmas just a little different.

THIS blog tour should be a fun one to read! You can read other entries from other wives here.