Andrea Dozier Dayton Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

I like to have fun & enjoy spontaneity {we willingly stay in the military, right?}, but I’m kind of boring when it comes to Christmas. I just want my family with me, pretty lights, music, maybe snow, and definitely homemade Belgian waffles {with maple syrup} for breakfast. We keep it pretty simple. In order to even begin to write about this topic, IÂ need to redefine “Christmas” as “winter” and go back several years…

My funniest Christmas memory: The Monopoly Crasher

I mentioned that we started dating in December. When I say, “we dated,” by “we,” I mean my “entire family” dated Rocky. I have a huge family and I had to share Rocky with all of them. This meant that instead of just going on little romantic dates alone, we would find ourselves in Gestures & Monopoly battles with whichever one of my seven siblings was home at the time. Things could get out control pretty quickly. I won’t say we are all cheaters, but none of us like to lose. I don’t think you’ve ever understood the word “intense” until you see how we play board games.

It was on a night like this that my dad answered the door to a guy about our age, dressed in his sunday best. My dad, the friendly person he is, led him to the living room couch and engaged him in some small talk. I assumed he was my brother’s friend, and we played on. They assumed he was my friend, and played on. By “played,” I mean got back to our belligerent & loud Monopoly game in the same room as this guest.

There was laughter, accusitions of cheating, and probably some bragging.

Finally, the confused man on the couch stood up & began talking. We all took notice.

“I must be in the wrong house… is this _____?”

No.

“He said to go to the house with all the cars so I assumed it was this one. I’m supposed to be at a wake…” he trailed off quietly.

We knew the person he was referring to and the tragedy that had just happened in the family. It became silent as we said goodbye and the realization of what happened sunk through us.

“So… you didn’t know him?”

“I didn’t know him. I thought you did.”

“We didn’t know him, figured he was waiting on you.”

We looked to my dad, who innocently shrugged and said that he was just being nice to who he figured was one of our friends. So the man thought he was in the midst of a grieving family and found instead… us.

I’d like to say that we kept quiet & learned to behave, but I’m pretty sure that will never happen.
We just try to do a bit more of an interview before we let random people sit on the couch.

To read some other funny Christmas memories, click here!

This is my fourth Wives of Faith blog post about Christmas. Regular photography posts will begin soon!

In the spirit of Christmas, I will try to narrow this post down to more festive topics. I’m so curious at what other spouses have written {click here to see} but I am going to be a good girl and not peek until I am done with this post!

You Might be a Military Spouse at Christmas: Top Ten List

10. You receive Christmas cards from more than five states.

9. You have trouble buying for the man who has been issued everything he could possibly need {and has the closet to prove it}.

8. Coming “home” for Christmas is your gift.

7. You are a sucker for collecting anything military themed. Santas, nutcrackers, ornaments… you name it. We dust it off and proudly display it.

6. You instantly burst into tears at any commercial that hints at soldiers being away for the holidays, {thanks Best Buy & Walmart}.

5. You’ve ever decorated the tree alone & taken about four thousand pictures of it for your deployed husband.

4. You know the words to the traditional carols, but can just as easily belt out all the lonely tunes.

3. You’ve ever told your children that packages that appear aren’t from Santa, but from the Daddy they haven’t seen in months.

2. Really, you don’t need any presents. One round of great sex will suffice when he gets home.

1. December 25 becomes just another day… it ceases to be the definition of Christmas for you. We have the amazing ability to make Christmas happen whenever we are together, whether it’s before, after, during the traditional day… or just somewhere tucked securely in our hearts that no war or absence can take away.

Bonus: No matter how thankful you are to have them home to participate in every tradition, you feel the nagging & persistent reminder that it’s not going to be the same next year. Then you go back to feeling grateful for right now.

I’ve always loved Christmas time. I love the lights, the trees, the excitement. It is the one bright spot in dull Ohio winters. To fall in love during December with my husband was a wonderful surprise… but I will select an actual object that was given to me for this post.

The best Christmas present I ever received: Diamond Earrings

As fall 2003 churned out colder temperatures, I kissed my single life goodbye. It was the only life I’d ever known for twenty years. I was the most surprised when the most handsome man I’d ever met became my boyfriend. We had our first date on Decemeber 6, after my younger brother’s high school basketball game. I really couldn’t have dreamed a better beginning, {and believe me, I was the queen of daydreaming}.

We both knew that we were going to marry each other pretty early on. I won’t call it love at first sight, because I had known him for a few years before we ever dated. I figured he was too handsome & intelligent to ever look twice at me, so I just took a mental picture of him & asked God for someone exactly like him. As our first Christmas rolled around, I think I picked out some nice boring gifts like sweaters.

He chose earrings.

He pretty much could have gotten me anything & I would have been thankful. But he chose them because a few days before, my ears came up in conversation. I told him I didn’t show anyone my ears, unless I was wearing my hair up for softball. It had been years since I had played softball. I kept my hair securely covering them, because I have the smallest ears of anyone in the world.
At least I thought so…

He decided to give me diamond earrings so that I would get over my insecurity & show off my ears. It took me a minute to hear him out as he explained his ulterior motive. I kind of wanted to hate him, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was, “I love you.”

He has done a pretty good job at raising his sword to all my outrageous personal myths & insecurities… I only have a few left :]

Check out other Wives of Faith stories here.

*I will have to post a picture of them tomorrow, today went by too fast & I didn’t get a chance to photograph them!