Presents were opened one at a time, and it quickly became clear how the joy of unwrapping a "surprise" was more thrilling than the actual gift itself. Still - they gathered their toys and started playing.
Every year, Aaron takes first prize for creatively wrapping his gifts for me. This one being a jewelry box inside a balloon - which was wrapped and actually pinned to the ceiling...
and this one - where he put his carpentry skills to work and concealed another jewelry box inside this box he made from scrap wood screwed shut, with hand painted lettering, and then double-chained shut. [smile]
The kids helped him pick out the jewelry and paint this box - and as I put them on and started the morning routine, Ava asked me, "Mom, did you get everything you wanted from Santa?"
Surprised - I answered with a happy yes and asked the same of her.
She didn't respond and I repeated my question to her several more times before I got this:
"Santa didn't bring me the Jasmine doll I wanted."
Yes - Aaron and I were crushed. The very single thing I was afraid of - happened. Ava's expectation from "Santa" failed her - we failed her. And I regretted not doing a better job of reinforcing what Christmas presents were all about.
Looking back, some of my most favorable moments of the holidays was when we first brought home our tree and decorated the house... sat around and made gifts for our family members - and then watching their faces light up bashfully as the kids gave them away. I loved how we ate snow... and sipped on hot cocoa overloaded with marshmallows. Made christmas trees out of toilet paper rolls, and painted ornaments... It is all of these moments that resonate best the joy of the holidays - and not what was inside a wrapped box. We've learned a lot this year - thanks to Ava and Noah who have helped us sort through this flurry and realize that we're so blessed - and the greatest way we can show our appreciation for one another - is the gift of time...
So we baked cookies... and ate more freezing snow by the fire... [smile].
After all the anxiety that went into planning a traditional holiday for the kids - everything followed its own course today - simplified - and simply beautiful...
Christmas morning at our house is becoming one of my favorite family traditions. It usually starts at 10pm the night before as we try to get the kids to sleep. There is usually quite a bit of anxiety and hot coco running through their little bodies, but they eventually nod off and thats when we begin. Assembling tricycles, doll-houses, decorating gifts, assembling cars and tractors, building small cities, stuffing stockings... you get the idea. But, eventually there is sleep. And the next morning, while we all wear our nice pajamas, sit by the fire, and sip our favorite beverages we get to watch the kids excitement as they open their gifts.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful day.. and I hope that we can take the commercial aspect out of it and enjoy it more for what it should be.
On a side note...
...Thanks to someone we have never met that lives in Alaska and a little website called eBay, we were able to score a Jasmine doll for her birthday.