Christmas is, and always has been, a very spiritual time, a time to celebrate Christ's birth, a time of thanksgiving, a time to re-evaluate what is most important, a time of peace. But the extreme anticipation and excitement that accompanies Christmas eve/morning has been MIA since moving out on my own- until now. Now I have a child who is cognizant of her surroundings and events that affect her.
All month long we have been engaged in Christmas activities - making Christmas goodies, watching the nativity story, reading about Jesus, talking about Santa, decorating our house, etc. It was fun explaining to Maddy what was going to happen on Christmas morning. It was fun seeing a growing anticipation within her as the December days came and went. I had butterflies in my stomach as I prepared for the evening.
On Christmas eve we ate a wonderful dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, etc. We watched the nativity story and talked about why we celebrate Christmas. The girls we able to open one present each - the contents being a pair of Christmas jammies to wear that evening. Then the girls set up their stockings and went to bed.
That night I, probably the only member of my household, had a hard time sleeping. I was so excited! Watching Maddy walk down the stairs Christmas morning was wonderful, she was totally shocked. It cracked me up so much. I loved watching her get excited about each gift she opened. I loved watching Maddy hand gifts to Laila so that she wouldn't be left out. I loved hearing Maddy squeal with delight at each new thing she discovered (e.g., candy hidden on toys, a stuffed stocking, etc.). I loved it, LOVED it.
All month long we have been engaged in Christmas activities - making Christmas goodies, watching the nativity story, reading about Jesus, talking about Santa, decorating our house, etc. It was fun explaining to Maddy what was going to happen on Christmas morning. It was fun seeing a growing anticipation within her as the December days came and went. I had butterflies in my stomach as I prepared for the evening.
On Christmas eve we ate a wonderful dinner with stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, etc. We watched the nativity story and talked about why we celebrate Christmas. The girls we able to open one present each - the contents being a pair of Christmas jammies to wear that evening. Then the girls set up their stockings and went to bed.
That night I, probably the only member of my household, had a hard time sleeping. I was so excited! Watching Maddy walk down the stairs Christmas morning was wonderful, she was totally shocked. It cracked me up so much. I loved watching her get excited about each gift she opened. I loved watching Maddy hand gifts to Laila so that she wouldn't be left out. I loved hearing Maddy squeal with delight at each new thing she discovered (e.g., candy hidden on toys, a stuffed stocking, etc.). I loved it, LOVED it.
Aren't they adorable?
One of my favorite videos from Christmas morning...
5 comments:
I love the picture of Maddy with the doll house!
Kids make Christmas ten times better!!
Kids do make Christmas better. I still can't sleep Christmas eve night either.
I can't believe how old Maddy is! Wow! It's been way too long! Let me know if you end up coming down to NY anytime soon!
Ok, that looks like the biggest best Christmas ever! So fun - and Laila is looking so big, I can't wait to get my hands on that girl!
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