Lili woke up early this morning, wanting to know if Santa had arrived. She was trying hard to patiently wait for Naomi to wake up, not able to lie still and wanting to talk. None of us knowing exactly when Naomi will finally begin to stir, I asked Lili if she wanted to wake Naomi. Without hesitation she jumped out off bed and headed to Naomi’s room. Soon, both girls came bouncing down the hall waiting for all of us to go downstairs. The anticipation of Christmas morning almost more than they could handle. I told them to go check to see if Santa had come, both quickly turning around and wasting no time getting down the stairs. I could hear excited chatter and then both coming back to report their findings. Soon we were all ready to go down together and with a fire burning in the fireplace, we settled in to begin opening gifts.  A reminder of the rule – one person at a time opening a gift, going youngest to oldest. Everyone watching and waiting to see what the recipient received before the next person opens a gift.

Soon, all the gifts were opened. Wrapping paper, boxes and gifts now occupying different areas of the living room. The mess on Christmas morning is always welcome. It’s a lovely sight that I look forward to each year. As I begin to pick up, I sing Christmas songs and remember the smiles, laughter, excitement and surprise.

It was a good day!

Merry Christmas!