Holiday Memory, Humor, and TBI

Several years ago, as I packed for a seven-week adventure to Australia and New Zealand, it hit me: my husband and I were going to be out of the country during our usual family Christmas planning window.

Each year, the six of us—our two adult children, their spouses, and the two of us—drew names for gift-giving. Our two grandsons weren’t part of the exchange, which meant they made out like bandits! Normally, my daughter-in-law handled the draw and mailed each of us a name in October. She even had a friend double-check the results to make sure no one ended up with their own partner. She was that honest. Truly.

But that year, with our travels spanning October and November, I decided to take matters into my own hands and do the draw early.

I wrote each name on a slip of paper, shuffled them, and matched them blindly—or so I intended. Finding someone to verify the draw felt like too much effort, so I peeked. Twice. Okay, maybe three times. I had to reshuffle a few names to make it work. I even made a backup list in case someone forgot who they had or the mail went astray.

And then, in a twist of irony, I forgot who I drew.

As I sealed the envelopes and sent them off, I had a realization: I was the perfect person to do the Christmas draw. My short-term memory, lovingly impaired by TBI, didn’t allow me to hold onto the details long enough to spoil the surprise.

Laughter, grace, and unexpected gifts. Who knew memory loss could be a holiday asset?