Merry Little Christmas

First, you have to resign yourself to being tired. As fun as Christmas is with kids, and it really is now that they're old enough to get it, there is an endurance aspect to it all. But, once you accept that there is a fatigue you cannot escape -- because Christmas Eve is never an early night and Christmas morning comes early -- it's wonderful. It's wonderful to listen to M explain that she REALLY heard reindeer on the roof last night, and watch O be more intrigued with the mechanics of her new Zingo game than the game itself (it's a bingo-like game with a little dispenser for the chips, and woah! is the dispenser fascinating). They're old enough now that they thought to distribute gifts as well as dive for the ones with their names on it, but they're young enough still that there was a steady chorus of "I want to open another one."

The opening was over, breakfast was yummy, and then we had the time-honored, chaotic tradition of Christmas phone calls to relatives spread across several time zones. Then -- a new Christmas Day tradition -- we took the girls ice skating for the first time. I cooked my first lamb dinner. It's been a lovely holiday, with a dear performance at their preschool, the "sheep show" (see quotes to the left) at Quaker meeting that included the entire meeting singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with hand/body motions, our first menorah at M+O's request, Christmas Eve church with Grandma Jo-Ann, their learning their first Christmas songs (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Jingle Bells), and back-to-back grandparent visits. There were a few setbacks, too, including the cowering in fear from the animated TV versions of both Rudolph and Frosty (our kids are very afraid of anything even slightly scary).

My parents have come and gone now, and Funnydad's mom is here now. My father's health is declining, and I don't think he'll be traveling much more. I'm not sure which is worse: the fact that he is no longer able to get his own gift for my mother, the fact that even coming to the store with me to choose it is too much for him, or the fact that we were all relieved that he accepted my offer of just going to buy it for him.

I hope you've had a Merry Little Christmas, and that your angels, however old they may be, are keeping your yuletide bright. I leave you with this video taken on Christmas Day.


Chapman Twins Ice Skating from jennifer chapman on Vimeo.