This year in particular, little bro is excited for all things Christmas. The morning after Thanksgiving he jumped into our bed, jostling us awake while asking, “can we put up the tree now?” It was 7am.
After I had my coffee I was ready to take the decorations down from their shelf in the garage and change our usual routine of doing the outdoors first, to grant him his wish of putting up the tree immediately. This year was the first time the boys put up nearly all the ornaments themselves, including the porcelain Precious Moments birth year ornament I’ve hung up for roughly 39 years. (It’s fine. Definitely not a big deal. I did not take it down and put it back up after they were asleep.) They were so excited when they got going they just didn’t stop.
The boys have already watched Home Alone, Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch, and little bro is still begging for more Christmas movies each night. He brought out all of his Christmas books for me to read before bed, choosing a couple a night and snuggling in fleece Christmas Jammies even though it’s 75 and sunny each day.
This weekend, after we went Christmas shopping, he asked to help me wrap gifts. As I taught him how to measure and cut the paper and fold the ends, he focused hard, trying to smooth it out the best he could. He addressed them and signed his name in his best cursive. He asked for more until I ran out of boxes to wrap.
It’s pretty great having a little Christmas elf around. This truly is one of the best times of year to be a parent despite the to-do lists, busy nights and spirit days at school. Seeing the magic of Christmas come alive through their eyes fills me with renewed joy for the season I’ve always loved. I’ll watch all the movies, drink the cocoa, read the stories, and sing the carols. And hey, it looks like I won’t need to wrap any gifts!
Our Life in A-Z 