There is something magical about a baby’s first Christmas. Never mind the pulled muscles carrying all sorts of stuff in to create a massive sensory overload for the poor kid or worrying about where the dinars are going to come to pay for said sensory buffet.
You might have gotten the impression that this family tends to go a bit overboard in terms of Christmas. I’m not talking over the gunwales of the dinghy overboard…I’m talking about taking that leap from the stern of the Titanic as she’s going down by the head for the final time! And even that doesn’t really prepare you for the reality of it.
The setting is Grammy’s living room, complete with a really large tree guarded by amazing piles of presents. Over to the side the stockings are hung (OK, leaned!) with the greatest of care and they’re guarded by boxes of cereal. That sounds a bit weird but there’s a really nifty tradition from Julia’s family that’s going on there. The short version is that sugared cereal was a rare treat during the year so they looked forward to that box that came at Christmas time. Mommy is a big Count Chocula fan whilst Daddy tends to either Honeycomb or Frosted Flakes.
The opening of the presents takes a few hours to complete. This is not mere ripping into packages as quick as one can thing…this is an event that has been brewing for a year that is meant to be savoured and experienced slowly. Of course, this year was special as it was Nicholas’ first foray into the world of Christmas sensory overload!
There are just so many cool things to rip and pound and slobber over as we try to eat them. And it doesn’t really matter if the object in question has his name on it or not…it’s all fair game! For those who have watched Finding Nemo, just imagine the seagulls and their pet phrase…he knows it well! ;)-
The boy ended up with a lot of cool stuff in his pile…toys, clothes, you name it. There was a definite Fisher Price theme going on, particularly for Peek-A-Blocks. He even got his own box of cereal…the baby kind, that is! I don’t think he will mind chowing down on it as we’ve only found one food that he’s not terribly fond of and cereal isn’t it!
Interestingly enough, his favourite thing of all wasn’t the mighty mountain of presents that came bearing his name…it turned out to be the metallic paper that wrapped the gift from one of Grammy’s neighbours, Adrienne and Fitz! He had an absolute ball wearing the paper, flinging it about, and ultimately trying to chew on it.
He did really well for a first-timer and he lasted about ninety minutes before he finally started petering out for a nap. Now just picture the little guy sleeping on Mommy’s lap in the middle of all of these unwrapped presents after a wild time opening packages and playing and having a grand time with a look of wonder and enjoyment that just takes your breath away.
That right there is a bona fide Christmas memory, my friends! That is the magic of Christmas at work…
You know what the really cool part about that is? You watch this spectacle and you just can’t help feeling like a young kid in a candy shoppe again. You just can’t help it! That’s one of the coolest feelings you can have and all of a sudden you forget the achy muscles from moving all of the stuff and the headache of how you’re going to pay for it all and you just enjoy the moment as a kid again.
Yeah, presents at Christmas are nice and it’s fun to get them. But in that time of watching Nicholas, he gave me the gift of vicarious youth and that is a gift beyond words! The time with family on Christmas morning is a very cherished one and that’s the only gift I ever ask to find round the tree for me.
The rest of the day was a day of relaxation. No need to be anywhere, no need to do a thing save hang out, play games, watch movies, and of course play with Nicholas! We do have some traditional movies that we watch over the holidays (Daddy is an It’s a Wonderful Life partisan whilst Mommy likes Miracle on 34th Street). It’s sometimes a challenge to get them in over the holiday season but so far we’re doing pretty OK in that department! We had a wonderful dinner of Honeybaked Ham and the trimmings (this shouldn’t be a surprise…see the entry for Christmas Eve!).
It’s our hope that your Christmas was just as cool as ours! 🙂
