'Tis the Season

Best. Christmas. Ever.

This year, I truly felt like Santa, and that was an incredible feeling. I wonder if this is how my parents felt when we were kids? Because this is pretty damn fun. When I was little, I remember lying in my bed, too excited to sleep, watching the numbers on the clock. In the morning, I would run past the living room, covering my eyes, trying my best not to peek at the presents Santa left out so I could see if my sisters were awake, so we could all be surprised together.

This Christmas Eve, I went to bed feeling tired but excited, much like I felt as a child, lying there, too wound up to sleep. When Penny woke up in the morning, she was surprised (and a little baffled) by what was waiting for her:


(Note: The toy box is a present from Santa to ME.)

Penny's too young to understand that Santa brings presents - right now, she knows he has a beard and looks a little like Opa, but he's otherwise a scary stranger. But next year, she might be ready for the whole Santa thing. And as fun as that is, I hope she won't be too disappointed later, once she is old enough to know the whole story. As an 8 year old, I remember feeling disillusioned when I discovered the truth. And disillusionment is a strong emotion.

Now that I'm a parent, I can understand why traditions are passed on. I want Penny to feel the same level of excitement I felt when I was little, waiting for morning to come, running to wake my sisters, so we could empty our stockings and read our notes from Santa, who always wrote something sweet, who seemed to know us so well. And I want the same for Penny, not just so I can relive those feelings from my childhood (which is nice and all), but so the creation of those magical moments can continue, for a little while.

All of the Santa stuff aside, this is the time of year when we can eat, drink, and be merry. Our family was all together, and Penny made out like a bandit. We were also able to catch up with some friends we haven't seen for a while, which is always a good thing.

I always feel sad when Christmas ends. It's a lot more fun to decorate the tree than it is to take it down. The Christmas hype begins in October, but ends promptly once the last present is unwrapped. Compared to the frivolity of December, January seems like "the New Cruelty," as a friend of ours just said today. But we'll leave the tree up a while longer, because that's another family tradition.