e-mail
As you might have been able to tell by some of my recent posts, I was psyched for some tough moments over Christmas. We had one, in the form of a stressed-out meltdown on the way to the church Christmas program. For awhile I was wondering if that child might need to sit with us and let another child speak her lines. But despite her case of nerves she was determined to be a part of the program. By the time her part came, she was smiling and on top of her game.
The rest of the holiday went amazingly well. Because of my husband’s work schedule, we always open our gifts on Christmas Eve morning — pictures here. It was pure delight to see the kids trailing into the living room bleary-eyed but already beginning to buzz with excitement over the heaps of gifts. (And with 10 kids, yes, there were heaps.)
The gifts were well received. This may have been in part because the day before we’d discussed what you say about a gift whether you like it or not — an enthusiastic “Thanks!!”
The gifts for the 12 year old had been the hardest to choose. We ended up giving her a CD player instead of the Mp3 player she requested. I just didn’t think it would be good for her to be shut off with personal headphones at this point in her life. Better to be listening to music she could share with others. She seemed honestly delighted with our choice.
We also gave her a doll. She is on the brink of growing up, but I wanted her to have the chance to play with a doll again if she wanted to. And she did. The doll was one of her favorite gifts.
Christmas Eve evening with my extended family (40+ people in a not-very-big house) was a little overwhelming to the girls . But they surprised me by eating the traditional clam chowder right along with everyone else, then played with cousins and opened more gifts along with everyone. Looking back, I should have stuck a little closer to them, because I think they’d have been glad for my reassurance. But they hung in there and did fine.
Christmas Day was slower-paced. We had church in the morning, then the noon meal with my husband’s family– ‘only’ 22 people, counting all of us. The girls sat for quite awhile showing the ‘Faces of Layla’ book to grandma. We’d bought Grandma a copy too, and they really enjoyed telling her the names of their friends.
When we got home that evening, I was amazed to look back and realize just how well Christmas had gone. Come to think of it, that may have been one of the best gifts I got this Christmas!
Photo credit: Mary Owlhaven
