COVID Christmas

So, that really fun evening we spent with our families at the Nauticus Winterfest in mid-December had a big down-side. Dan was unaware that he had been exposed to COVID at school the week before we all spent the evening together. By Sunday night, he was starting to feel sick, and by the end of the week, Dan, his brother, Tim, and his mom had tested positive for COVID, and every single member of our families had symptoms.

At the Nauticus during our Jester/Campbell family "herd immunity experiment." 

We do not plan to make this an annual tradition.

Instead of celebrating together, we all quarantined and recovered through Christmas. Dan's sister, Robin, and her family postponed their trip to visit us from Montana until after our quarantine period. Most of our family members had mild to moderate COVID symptoms that subsided after a week. But Dan's dad was hit harder than the rest of us, and ended up in the hospital for oxygen, steroids, and antibiotics to help him fight the virus. His COVID symptoms improved within a week's time, however, he had a series of reactions to medications and other incidents at the hospital that resulted in him staying there for three weeks and having the worst Christmas ever.  None of us could visit him at the hospital for over two weeks, which was the worst part of it all. Once he was discharged, he had to work hard to regain his strength, but he's improved drastically since returning home. 

We missed him tons during the holidays this year while he was in the hospital.  We're so thankful to God for his recovery! 

My parents and our family opened Christmas gifts together and Zoomed with my brother, Steve, and his family in Boston.   

Virtual gift opening with Steve, Sheila, Meera, and Rowan

The girls at Christmastime with their Papa and Nana

After everyone was out of quarantine, Dan's sister, Robin, and her family flew in from Montana. Unfortunately, Dan's dad's hospital stay lasted until after they returned home, but we're so thankful for the time we had with them.

Tim, Mom Jester, Robin, and Dan

We had a belated Christmas gift opening extravaganza at Grandpa and Grandma's house!

Robin and Rob bought Christmas "crackers" filled with toys for us all to open.

Tim and Dawn have an annual New Year's Eve taste-testing challenge, and they involved the rest of us this year. The challenge was to taste small bites of candy bars with closed eyes and guess the brand and flavor of each one. There were some really funny moments - especially watching the picky eaters (old and young) try new flavors!

Robin bought the girl cousins matching outfits for Christmas. They loved them and looked adorable!

The younger cousins had a couple of sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

Staying up late watching movies and snacking, so they'll all crash as soon as they go to bed.

We were grateful that the weather was nice enough to play outside several days, since we'd all been cooped up in our houses long enough!

All the cousins - ranging in age from 16 to 3! 

Although it wasn't a perfect or carefree holiday, we cherish the time we have with the ones we love. It's a generous gift from our God who gave us the greatest gift of all in his son, Jesus. We pray that he uses all our experiences in life to help us love and depend on him more.

Merry Christmas!