Christmas Morning #2...

Because Jim was working Christmas morning I took the children, my sister Ruth and her daughter Iva up north to spend time with my parents and all the Aunts, Uncles and little cousins. We stayed with my sister Michelle. On Christmas eve most of the cousins slept down in the family room. I was designated to chaperon - translation...Ruth got first dibs on the bedroom upstairs -

Like I said in the post previous, morning came at 4:00 a.m. I lay in the dark listening to the children who were allowed to open their stockings until Grandma and Grandad arrived. I enjoyed the many squeals of delight.

"Sweet!"

"I got marbles!"

"I got crayons!"

"I got a frog!"

"I got socks and underwear?!"

"That's 'cause you've been bad."

"I love Santa!"

The grandparents arrived at about 8:30 - by that time all 9 children were on such a sugar high we couldn't keep them downstairs.

After that, glorious chaos broke out - each child was possessed with so much 'Christmas cheer' we were afraid for our lives ... we let Uncle Eddie face the mob while the rest of us sat at a safe distance and prayed for his safe return.

Christmas mornings...

We had two Christmas mornings this year. How lucky is that?! That's right, two Christmas mornings. Each started at 4:00 a.m. I am not kidding. Merry Christmas to me. I am still recovering. This shot of Daddy is a mirror expression of mine behind the camera.

Dad had to work on the 25th so we opened gifts the Sunday before. It took some coaxing to get him out of bed. I think he had returned from an ambulance call at about 2:00 a.m.

These faces describe better the true meaning of 'Christmas morning'...

Liam opens his own little video camera. He loves to make home movies. I'm sure there will be plenty of footage of me in my 'jammies' (or worse) to come. He'll be charging popcorn on opening night, no doubt. This was exactly what Spielberg looked like when he opened his first video camera.

Believe it or not - she's actually really happy. Tansy had been hoping for a dollhouse and Grandma gave her miniature furniture.

When we put the gifts under the tree, we didn't put names on them so the children were left to guess who got the biggest packages. Christmas morning each child chose a box and we'd tell them who it belonged to. Here Tristan rejoices. He got the biggest box.

Oh the magic of a children! It is the elixir of youth.

Trim The Tree

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:

the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

~Burton Hillis