Christmas Morning
Santa tries hard to get it right and listen for the little hints during the run up to the holiday. A wistful hint dropped, something admired. Any clue is analyzed and discussed to try to decipher just what they really want. Sometimes it's easy, when they come right out with it, other times it is more like breaking a Cold War code. But you eventually get everything you think they want.
All the shopping, all the braving of the crowds to get just the right gift all hopefully worth it. Hours spent shopping matched by hours spent wrapping. Then the late night bustle of getting everything under the tree after the kids finally go to bed. The stockings are stuffed, the gifts arranged just so. Despite dire threats of getting everyone up at a really early hour, the kids mercifully let you sleep until all of 6:30 before they begin asking when they can open presents. Ah, youthful patience.
All of the time spent wrapping undone in seconds as the paper and ribbons are torn away revealing the new treasures. Gifts unwrapped and displayed proudly for all to see. Parents doing the dreaded "some assembly required". (The "some" part being relative, of course. Often it seems like you only missed injection molding the plastic or smelting the metal itself - everything else is on you.) The children trying to figure out how to break the new gift, disguising that intention by saying they're only trying to get it to work.
Taking the time to tell your spouse you love them when you open the gift they bought you. That gift never comes from them , of course. It is from Santa, or the kids, or the pets. The tag says so every year. And every year you do the same to your spouse. The cockatiel has deep pockets, apparently. Each year it is only one or two gifts for the adults, Christmas is about the children. They make out like bandits each year. And each year it gets harder and harder to buy for each one, too. They grow up so fast.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Personal Thoughts | Gaius Monday, 25 December , 2006
By Brass, Monday, 25 December , 2006 @ 12:10 pm
Merry Christmas to the whole Crabitat.
By Quilly Mammoth, Monday, 25 December , 2006 @ 1:59 pm
Merry Christmas to you, as well, Gaius. This year’s Christmas has the addition of the micro-mammoth for all the adults to coo over.
By Gaius, Monday, 25 December , 2006 @ 2:48 pm
Congratulations! A micro-mammoth is always something special!
By sarge, Tuesday, 26 December , 2006 @ 1:08 am
Merry Christmas, Dad.
By Blackhawk, Wednesday, 27 December , 2006 @ 5:01 pm
Belated Merry Christmas and happy New Year to the Crabitat. Just got back online after visiting the nest in Hawkeye country.