Your Handmade Home Magazine December 2017

We wrapped every present carefully, perfectly, making sure each one
looked like a present wrapped personally by Santa. After all, wouldn’t
the kids expect Santa to be an expert present wrapper? Every edge of
the wrapped boxes was sharp and crisp, every bow placed just so, every
“From: Santa” tag looking anything but like my own handwriting. We
made sure to use wrapping paper that looked different than any of the
paper we used for the already wrapped presents tucked under the tree--
special paper that was hidden deep in my favorite gift-hiding locations,
far away from prying eyes.
Michael and I managed to carry all the wrapped gifts to the tree without
further incident, having told that LEGO exactly what I thought about it
(in no uncertain terms, and definitely not for the kids’ ears!). I moved the
offending toy out of my way before carrying boxes this time, and neatly
stacked the gifts under the tree and in front of the gifts the kids had already
seen and been speculating about for the last several weeks. I spent
a few extra moments to make sure the presents were all situated perfectly
under the tree. It just wouldn’t do for anything to be out of place, for anything
to ruin the magic that was only a few short hours away.
The kids came running in at, oh, 4, 5, 6am, laughing and yelling and jumping
on our bed as they entered, and it was impossible to be mad at them. I
gave them big ol’ bear hugs, holding them close and laughing at their joy
and excitement. I remembered to treasure that moment, brief and fleeting
though it was. They would never be this small again, and I needed to bask
in their innocence and youthful energy.
We headed downstairs to our Christmas tree, and Michael and I watched
with delight as the kids read out the names written on the gifts and sorted
them into piles. Once the presents were passed out to their correct recipients,
the wrapping paper flew into the air, torn in the rush to see what was
treasures lay inside. As I sat there quietly, watching the girls and sipping on
a steaming cup of hot cocoa, I realized that it was all worth it -- scrimping
and saving; cooking the kids’ favorite dinner even though I hate it and it
takes forever to cook; playing a board game the night before that I absolutely
cannot stand; fighting the Black Friday crowds and finding the very
last of that popular, hard to find toy they wanted; and yes, even stepping on
the LEGO and nursing of my bruised and swollen foot.
I crawled into bed beside Michael and grinned in happy exhaustion. Macy
and Teagan had been bouncing off the walls for days in anticipation, but
what they didn’t realize is how excited I was about tomorrow morning…
or was it today? It was so very hard to sleep with the suspense, and I ended
up staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, instead of getting any rest.