I can't believe I am only now getting around to blogging about Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday for many reasons, the most important one being family. This year turned out to be one of the more special Christmases. It was great to see the family again. Visiting with Dad and Cindy, seeing Aunt Wanda out and about, delicious holiday fare, good company- it would seem pretty much standard, right?

Christmas this year was marked by two very exceptional things, both related to each other, but nonetheless distinct. This year I invited Dave to our family's party. He agreed readily- he needed the break from his stay at the nursing home. The only concern about inviting him was the drive. I would have to travel from Lockport down to Buffalo, and then on to Batavia. Overall, this is about a 60 mile drive, taking roughly an hour and fifteen minutes.

Old Mother Nature had another plan for us, instead. Our Christmas party was being held on the Sunday before December 25th. Starting on Friday, the snow and cold weather rolled in. I had a rough drive home from work that night, and I hoped that it wouldn't last much longer than a day. Who knew that the weather would get worse on Saturday, and then make Sunday one of the most stressful drives I've ever taken?

I couldn't say no to Dave. I told him come hell or high water, I will be taking him to Batavia. I didn't count on whiteout conditions and unplowed roads. I managed to pick up Dave without incident- the roads were slow going but still manageable. It wasn't until I was on the Thruway that the enormity of the risk I was taking settled in. The road conditions continued to deteriorate. Dave acted as my second pair of eyes as we dragged along at 20mph, passing several SUVs off the road, a 3-car accident. There were several times where I could not see in front of me, so Dave kept his eyes on the road markers to make sure I was still on the road.

As we approached Batavia, we found a plow and followed it to the exit. Fantastic! The sense of relief was great. As for the party, it was pretty standard. Dave got a few gifts, and overall it was quite satisfying. I didn't want to venture back that night, but Dave said he really needed his medicine. So it was back out on the road.

For the return, we didn't take the Thruway. My uncle recommended staying on local roads for several reasons: AAA will not go there; if I get stuck, I'll be stuck for a longer time; and finally, if I do get stuck, I can walk to a house. I couldn't argue with his wisdom so Dave and I headed out onto route 5 back to his nursing home. This trip was just as slow, just as dangerous, but at least once we reached the route 33 expressway, the skies cleared and I could see a bit further ahead of me. The whole time, I was saying, "Thank you God for getting us this far. Please help us get all the way home." God must have been listening because I did get Dave home to his place, and I also survived the trip back to my apartment, safe and sound.

So there you have it. This Christmas would be special to me, as it marks my friend Dave and his adoption into our family, and it also marks the stressful and dangerous trip in and out of Batavia in some of the crappiest weather I've ever experienced. I hope I never experience it again either.