Reality Check: Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning 2009 (Kate's LRDC)


If you read my previous post, Visions of Flash Mobs Dance in My Head, you know that I've been "picturing" Christmas morning very precisely. So I was caught off guard this morning when My Beautiful Daughter Meagan said, "I don't know how you and Dad are picturing Christmas this year, but..." (Apparently she hadn't read my blog.)

Of course my flash mob fantasy was just for pretend. But I really hadn't troubled myself with thinking about how this Christmas -- Charlie's first -- might vary from Christmases past...

Besides Charlie, this will also the first year when My Awesome Husband Greg and I will be alone on Christmas morning. Our son, Dominic, moved in with his girlfriend, Sydney, last February. (He recently hinted that he might need/want to "sleep over" on Christmas Eve so he could wake up in his old bed; but since his television moved out with him, I have a feeling he's going to reconsider.)

I'm sure Dominic also forgot to factor Charlie in when picturing his Christmas morning...

Charlie -- Sweet, wonderful Charlie! We're all so excited to be part of her first Christmas. But she changes everything!

(1) Meagan and Joe won't be getting up early this year, donning sweats and joining us for Greg's home fried potatoes and a frenzy of present-opening beside the tree. Instead, they'll wake up to the excitement of watching Charlie open her presents, teaching her how to extract toys from boxes, and that ribbons and paper are not for eating. Which means that

(2) Dominic probably won't be waiting in his room for Meagan to wake him with the news that Santa has come.

(3) Charlie will need a mid-morning nap, of course; it wouldn't make sense to arrive at Grandma and Grandpa's until after that has occurred, so

(4) Dominic might as well stay home in his own bed and wait for the phone call telling him that Meagan, Joe and Charlie are on their way. So that means

(5) Greg and I don't even have to wrap presents until Christmas morning -- No one's going to be here before noon anyway. (You know us -- We never do anything until one minute before too late. Heck, if more stores were open on Christmas Eve, we'd probably wait until after Midnight Mass to start shopping.)

Well, I know it's silly for me to speculate on how Christmas morning will come down this year, worrying that the future can't possibly be as wonderful as the past. Yes, it is hard to let go of the things that have always brought us so much pleasure; but that doesn't mean something new can't be just as much fun...

And we have Charlie this year -- The most beautiful, funny, amazing baby! We will all be together to celebrate this most glorious day, along with dear friends and "Borrowed Babies." It just won't begin quite as early.

Our Christmases past will always live on in our hearts -- The ones when we were the kids and Mom and Dad made the magic and held it all together; when the house was full of noise and chaos and Santa Claus; the long drives to spend part of the day with our grandparents...

Our kids will treasure their Christmases past, too. And for all of us, this one will be remembered as Charlie's First Christmas. What's not to love and celebrate about that?!!