I am full aware that we are in the thick of the best days when it comes to Christmas with our kids. We have a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old (and, of course, the eleven-year-old but she ceases to count as much in the "magic" factor due to asking for only clothes and money when it came to making her Christmas list). Our children believe easily. Christmas is full of magic and wonder. I love it but I also know these days are fleeting. Jaidan will start kindergarten next August and there's a good chance some playground punk will spill the beans about Santa. This could be the last year all my children believe in Santa. That makes me want to cry!
It seems like just yesterday that I went to bed on Christmas Eve night after sitting out gifts for a two month old's very first visit from Santa. Now that two month old is five. And a big brother. Two times over. I'm sure this, the now - the magic and the believing - will go by just as fast. I'm probably going to wake up tomorrow as the mother of teenagers who demand gift cards or money because they claim there's no way I, in all my middle age-ness, can pick out jeans or boots or whatever that fit their tastes.
But this Christmas . . . this Christmas, we had our little people who believe easily and will scurry to bed at the very thought that Mom and Dad might see Rudolph's blinking red nose outside. This Christmas was magical and just about close to perfect. Even though I never did get to make it to end of Twas the Night Before Christmas because a certain husband had too much wine with Christmas Eve dinner and kept adding fifth grade level commedic relief to the story (think snoring during long winter's nap).
We celebrated with three separate gift orgies this year. Christmas Eve was Gigi's turn. We cooked dinner for at least thirty which was crazy seeing as there were all of eight of us there! Eddie fried a turkey and he's still talking about that damm bird. We go through this every single Christmas. I'll give him this one though -- that turkey was, for lack of a better phrase, the shit.
We did dinner and gifts. Cars, clothes, shopping carts, baby dolls. But, hands down, the most popular gift was the football uniforms the boys got. Karis kept putting one of the helmets on and whenever we tried to take it off she yelled at us. "Hey!" She may have been cuddling baby dolls but she was doing it with a football helmet on . . .
Gift Orgy #2 began Christmas morning. 6:30.
Confession: I couldn't sleep Christmas Eve night. It was after midnight before I was finally able to settle down and drift off. Then I was up by 4:30. I WAS SO EXCITED!
Santa did some spoiling this year. But we've kind of come to expect it -- the jolly guy has grown to be pretty predictable. Being three this Christmas, Kyan's expressions were absolutely precious and priceless. Everything he opened was greeted with a gasp of surprise and a squeal of joy. And his snuggie even earned an "I Gotta Snuggie" dance. Gawd. I love three year olds.
The "big" and final gift for the older three we made them all unwrap at the same time:
Tablets!
Holy excited kids!
We didn't have to be at my grandma's until 3:00 that afternoon so we were able to spend a good chunk of the morning just playing. Or doing things like this:
Every year before Christmas I daydream about spending the day in our pajamas just lounging around the house. Playing with new toys and eating leftovers and not caring that wrapping paper is strewn all over the house. But you know what? There's no way I would miss spending the day with my family at my grandmother's house. It's about 5-6 hours round trip and we only spend about three hours there. But? Worth it.
Especially since this year it was warm enough for the kids to run and play out in the fields.
The kids played with their cousins, Storme and I ate on the back porch like we did when we were kids, we took a trip to the cemetary to spend part of the holiday with PawPaw, and then it was Presents: Round I Lost Count.
The kids, once again, made out when it came to gifts. Kyan's Buzz Lightyear was easily the most popular toy. My favorites? A tie. I love Karis's little Razorback cheerleader outfit. But I'm also a huge fan - HUGE fan - of the little toy puppy dog MawMaw got her. It barks and walks and pants and even whines. BUT IT DOES NOT POOP OR HAVE TO BE FED. It's pretty much the perfect pet. And even if she's scared of it (great big WTF? moment as that kid loves dogs), I'm a fan.
And that was our Christmas. It was great and it was magical and I couldn't imagine it being anymore perfect!
