A Serviceman's Christmas

The winter holidays are a bit different for those of us on active duty, especially when we're stationed and/or deployed overseas. Most of us are young, single men who have no children, and are hundreds if not thousands of miles away from home.

I customarily volunteer to work the Christmas shifts in exchange for New Year's Eve/Day off, as that is a holiday that lends itself to being young & single just a bit more. I have spent 4 of my 6 Christmas seasons over here in Japan now, and it follows a fairly simple pattern:

1. After the end of Christmas shift, gather a handful of people in my situation & head out to a bar/karaoke joint that is having a Christmas Eve party. There's usually free grub, and it gives us a chance to celebrate/commiserate the fact that we're all away from home during the holidays.

2. Sleep in on Christmas Day, and take advantage of the time difference to call back home to family. Since I usually have this day off, I can afford the lengthy holiday phone calls because I don't have anywhere else to be. Since it takes a matter of minutes to open gifts or Christmas cards as a single dude, I usually combine clean-up with end of the year cleaning. All broken & unused junk gets a pink slip and I try to have my place looking much tidier for the coming year, even if it is just a temporary victory against clutter.

3. If I've gotten an invite for dinner, take it up and continue to spread the Christmas spirit. If not, there is always a holiday meal at the dining facility & it never hurts to save a few bucks while living high on the hog.

The main thing is using my time productively instead of sitting around being a sad-sack because my family is far away & I don't have the time/means to visit them this time of year. When I can, I also try to share genuine goodwill with the younger folks who may be roughing it with their first "grown-up Christmas" ever. I remember what a let-down it was my first time away from home, so I do what I can to combat that.

I hope everyone who is able can spend some time with their family & friends this year; if not, there are probably others in your position too, so let's reach out and beat back the chilly breeze and quietness of winter together! Cheers!!