Christmas and the empty nest

Christmas will be so different this year. I knew the time was coming, but I still was not prepared for it. Every year, the children have come home for Christmas. Though there were years when one could not make it, we always still had a full house. This year is different. This is going to be the first year that none of the children will be coming home. It is not because they have all grown and have their own families. This year they are not coming home because we no longer live in the states. Five years ago I married a diplomat I had met during his posting in Washington. We talked frequently about there coming a time when we would be leaving the country for a new posting. I started mentally preparing myself for the coming change. We took a family road trip this summer and spent as much time with the children as we could. Though I have adjusted well to our new home and I am learning to adapt to the nuances of the country, I am finding myself feeling a bit overwhelmed with the emotion of missing my children this Christmas. I'll try my best to control this sense of sadness even though there is a high likelihood that I will start crying at some point. I know my husband will go the extra mile to make sure we have a wonderful Christmas and I am eternally grateful for all he does and will do for me this first empty nest Christmas.