By: Edward Arthur Dalton & The Dream Chasing Family

Christmas 2020 is an oxymoron. While Christmas is the “Happiest Time of the Year” — 2020 was… well… you know what it was — not the happiest!

I can’t remember exactly when we realized the holidays were going to look quite different than years past. Not just because we would have a baby — but the pandemic was disrupting everything for everyone. One thing was for sure, we were excited to be spending it with little Eddie — wherever we were!

We decided to go visit Sarah’s dad in Arizona. If it had been any other year, we would have flown — but, with a new baby and Covid-19 cases on the rise, we buckled up and settled into our seats (and car seat) for Eddie’s first road trip!

We drowned out the hum of the engine listening to an incredible audiobook called Educated — which we would highly recommend!

I was excited to travel through desert country I had never seen, only read about or observed in photos. We focused our trip’s crosshairs on iconic places like Horseshoe Bend, and US Route 89 — regarded by National Geographic as the “#1 Drivers’ Drive in the World.”

The scenery did not disappoint. As we drove along the seemingly endless Grand Canyon Plateau, I couldn’t help but marvel at its vast beauty, scarred only by the two lane highway we were traveling on. It’s the kind of road you dread the thought of breaking down on — especially with a baby on board!

For hundreds of miles, the only remaining relics of civilization were old boarded up motels and rundown gas stations with weeds growing through the cracks in the parking lot. The sense of desolation felt synonymous with what I imagine traveling Fury Road from Mad Max might feel like. These are the hallmarks of a true adventure on the open road, I thought. In stark contrast to flying, we couldn't have been more socially distant. The drive took two days, but to our surprise (and gratitude) Eddie didn’t fuss the whole way!

I would have enjoyed the long drive if it was all we had done this trip. After months of being pent-up at home, we needed something to cure our severe case of cabin fever!

Escaping the cold wintry weather for a week was an added bonus to the drive. The sunburn on my left arm from driving southbound all-day felt like a small price to pay for the warm weather Arizona welcomed us with!

But even in sunny Arizona, the comfortable daytime temperatures quickly plummet when the sun goes down this time of year — making water temperatures much less bearable than during its scorching summers. This didn't deter us from baptizing our Christmas present (a family sized paddle board) in the pool! Sarah’s dad and I even took a bone-chilling polar plunge into the near freezing cold water on Christmas day! Imagine a brain freeze, but on your whole body! Brrrrrr! 🥶

We were even able to get Eddie out for his first hike on the beautiful cactus-lined Peralta Trail in the Superstition Wilderness! He slept in his carrier against my sweaty chest the whole time, but I won't complain! I was just content to be sharing some adventure with my bud.

We loved the cute little town of Tortilla Flat — the last surviving stagecoach stop along the Apache Trail. Nestled in a valley between steep red cliffs with sharp ridges, it is reminiscent of the dusty towns depicted in old westerns. I envisioned a gunslinger shootout in the street outside of the saloon we ate lunch at. I could almost hear the screech of a hawk overhead as we ate our melting ice cream outside the country store. Next to us was a small wooden display box, with a warning sign that read “beware, baby rattlers!“ Inside was a collection of old baby rattle toys. I would have never given much thought to the display — but, as a new father, I could appreciate the creative #dadjoke.

Though, perhaps my favorite memory this Christmas was the opportunity to take a family photo with Eddie next to a decorated Christmas tree — a cliche wish, but one I’ve hoped for for years now.

If you would have told us during our yearning years of infertility that this was the image we had to look forward to this Christmas, we might not have believed you — however desperately we wanted to.

What more could we have asked for this Christmas than to have our dream of parenthood come true? We are grateful beyond measure for the heaven sent gift of little Eddie’s birth this year — and the birth of a Savior some 2020 odd years ago!

As Christmas came and went this year with a miraculous addition to our little family, I couldn't help but imagine Mary and Joseph’s elation to become parents themselves on that monumentally special night I will forever be thankful for.