My Reflection on Christmas

Airplanes, flight complications, and tacky clothing

Christmas in my family is different every year.  We do have the basics that any family would have: decorations, a tree, Christmas albums, etc. But you could say that we definitely do not have any of the clichéd moments that some families have of the little brother getting tied up in Christmas lights, or the grandmother burning the turkey in the oven causing the family to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Christmas dinner.  Instead, my older brother comes to visit us from the US and we go to a different place (Langkawi and Vietnam, to name a few.) So was it so wrong for us to decide to go to a place like Greece for Christmas?  Apparently the gods did not think this to be such a good idea. 

Because plane tickets are expensive enough as it is, we decided to meet Glenn in Athens rather than have him fly out to KL first.  We had even coordinated it so that we would arrive at the airport an hour apart to meet.  But flying through London in December can be very risky.  Not expecting anything out of the ordinary, we received an urgent text message from my brother asking us to call him immediately.  So, what could possibly go wrong the night before a big trip to Europe, you might ask?  Having to go to the store to buy a last-minute tube of toothpaste?  Or having to run to the store to buy some socks?  No, he informed us that his flight had been canceled.  So, here I was, with my parents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, finding out that my brother was in Los Angeles, California staying at a hotel near LAX with free meal vouchers but no reservation.  Maybe this would be how the holiday season would turn out for the Coffman family.  

The three of us arrived in Athens, only to remember that we wouldn’t see our blonde-haired family member awaiting us at the arrival area.  Keeping in constant contact for the next four days, Glenn was finally able to get a flight through London on Christmas Eve and would arrive in Athens on Christmas morning.  Not an ideal situation for us, but better than spending the festive season in different countries. 

Christmas morning came along and there he was:  my blonde-haired, blue-eyed big brother.  He had arrived at two o’clock in the morning when I was fast asleep and I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present.  But he sure could have.  Not only did he have a five-day delay coming here, his bag had also been lost in London.  This left the 22 year old man with only the filthy clothes he had on him to wear for who knew how long.  This left only one option:  the Big Bird t-shirt.  This t-shirt was famous among my family and was strictly used for sleeping only.  If it were worn outside in the real world, disaster would strike.  But, the Big Bird shirt was the only piece of my clothing that would fit my six foot one inch brother and he would have to wear it.  For someone who had suffered through a similar fiasco, this wouldn’t be too big a deal, but for my brother it certainly was.  One thing you should know, dear reader, my brother is about as picky with clothing as a 6 year old is with food.  His attire is limited to t-shirts and shorts and even a polo shirt is out of his range.  So, a billowy, white shirt with a large children’s television show character over the entire front and back would definitely be a near-death experience for him. 

Walking through the streets of Athens, I would turn my head to see my brother covering his chest with his arms to try and hide the ridiculous yellow bird that occupied 85% of the shirt.  Normally, one would use a sweatshirt to cover this atrocious piece of clothing, but as if the Greek gods had punished him for something, the zipper on his sweatshirt happened to be broken leaving him with his arms as his only shield.  Worse yet, his bag did not arrive for 3 full days.  He believed that every Athenian in the street was snickering at him behind his back.  So, it was decided, Christmas 2010 would be an unforgettable one with canceled flights, lost bags, Big Bird t-shirts, and much laughter.

Note:  The above photo was taken after Glenn's bag had arrived, giving him access to clean clothes.  The sweatshirt, however, is the same one as described and does have a broken zipper.