Celebrating Christmas

Things have calmed down considerably now that Christmas Day has passed. We're still celebrating Christmas. I mean, it's supposed to be celebrated for an octave (8 days) so why stop the day after Christmas. Plus, it gives me more time to make those cookies I never got around to and sending out the few Christmas cards that didn't get addressed with the first batch I sent out.

Christmas this year was wonderful - absolutely amazing - but totally not what I had expected. Our tradition is to celebrate Christmas Eve with John's family and open a few gifts with them. Then on Christmas morning, we get up (the kids let us sleep in until 6:45am!!!!) LOOK but don't open gifts, eat breakfast and then go to church. After church we open presents.

My memory of Christmas morning as a kid is one of uninterrupted gift opening. My brothers and I would open presents one at a time in an orderly fashion, each one waiting their turn. Very organized thanks to my mom. But I don't remember people getting up and going to get drinks or going to the bathroom or kids wandering off to play with the cats or any other such nonsense. We were all about opening presents.

My family now is very different. When we got home from church we had to putz around for a while - find the camera, find the video camera, get drinks for everyone, change a diaper, oh - gotta use the bathroom, someone needs a snack, re-find the camera. It took us 30 minutes - easiliy - to get to opening the presents.

You'd think that Will would be completely nutso and ready to attack every gift with his personal brand of intense energy. This was not the case. He was fine with the after-church delay. Plus, during the Gift Opening Ceremony, each time he unwrapped something he wanted to open it and play with it - all other unopened presents temporarily forgotten. We don't play with toys until after all presents are unwrapped. We'd never get to the end otherwise. So Will would ask, we'd say no, and then he'd run the box up to his room and put it away. EVERY TIME HE OPENED A PRESENT. We finally stopped him, even though it was a great use of energy, and made a stack in the living room to be taken upstairs at the end of Present Opening.

Mr. Cubby made a beeline to a little white rocking chair - just his size - under the tree and plopped down - right on top of his new Christmas bear, Mr. Inkerwinker Jr. He sort of understood the idea of unwrapping but we had to do a lot of coaxing. Even so, he was a lot more interested in Christmas than he was last year at 6 months.

The twins did just fine over Christmas. They're moving all around. I can feel them moving especially after I eat. Speaking of, I think I need a cookie.

Merry Christmas to all.