Long before twinkling lights or gingerbread houses dot the scene, the Christmas Wish List appears. Traditionally it’s filled-to-the-brim and stretching long, holding possibilities certain to bring joy.
But for one family this holiday season, the list was surprisingly short.
“When I asked our boys, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ the first thing they said was to see their dad, and we knew that wasn’t going to happen,” Carlie said, explaining that her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Chris Lawes, was deployed in Korea; no holiday leave in sight.
It was back to the Christmas Wish List as hopes for their first request dampened in Washington’s gray, rainy day. Then their mom asked her sons what might be the second gift on the list.
“Hawaii was what immediately followed because they consider it home since they spent a huge chunk of elementary and high school life there,” Carlie said, reminiscing about their more than 6 years stationed in Oahu. “I decided if I could make something come true, and if we could do one piece of that (wish list) to have a nice Christmas and lift spirits, that’s what we’d do.”