Thursday, December 16, 2004
NINE DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS....
Many of you read John’s and Becky’s blogs. They have both confessed to the sin of shake, rattling and rolling their gifts under the tree days before Christmas. Now George, the elder brother, was a different kid. He savored the day when he could open his for the first time. He never bothered them for fear he would know what was in them and then the surprise element would be spoiled.
The two younger ones ‘wanted’ to know what was in them….in the most desperate of ways. In the room, they sat observing the tree like two little angels; once I was in the kitchen they descended on the packages like vultures. They knew anytime I went to the kitchen I would be gone; lost in preparing a meal or doing the dishes. This would give them the time they needed to inspect the packages.
They talk of rewrapping them so expertly….that I never knew. To this I say, “HA!!” Did they think I was deaf as well as blind? How many of you can tell when someone has been in a package? I bet even John and Becky could tell…..NOW! How do they think we knew all this stuff? Because……..we were kids once, too. I used to think I was so clever in my deceptions that no one would ever be the wiser. As I grew older and had children of my own, I of course, knew what to look for. The children always thought I had eyes in the back of my head but what was in my head…….was history and experience.
John was so wired by Christmas eve after family gifts were opened that sleep would never come. This was inspired by George, who one night, absolutely heard Santa’s sleigh bells going over our house. He tiptoed into Becky’s room to look out her window, wake her, and tell her of this great phenomenon. John was too small at the time to be an insider of this special event. Filled with this and other real or imagined stories of Christmas lore made it impossible for him to sleep on THE night Santa would come.
Most often on Christmas eve night their dad and I would tumble into bed about 1:00am after sewing clothes for a Barbie doll and putting up a gas station with a thousand pieces. ALL of the pieces were never with the set and so there were delays upon delays. By the time we finished Santa’s work for him we were totaled. One night we had only been to bed about an hour, when I woke with start. (yes, just like the poem.) I heard a muffled noise coming from the bathroom which was next to our bedroom. I could also see a light shining around the edges…..someone was in the bathroom!!
I sprang out of bed to see what was the matter (yes, just like the poem.) and when I opened the door………there sat little John, sitting on the floor with his stocking and the contents strung out all over the place. He was so excited he didn’t even consider he might be caught in a guilty act. He enthusiastically showed me what Santa left and then darted in to wake his brother to tell him what Santa left for him…..then to Becky’s room. So everyone is up at 2:00am with everyone clutching their favorites for the year before we could get some needed sleep.
Somehow the loss of sleep, the tired, the weary hours getting to this point are lost in memory now. What I do remember is how happy the kids were….and if I think about it I can hear their youthful voices and those dear little faces all smiley and happy….after it all died down we settled in for a long winter’s nap….I’m sure I heard a jolly old elf call ere he drove out of sight…. “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”………………..yes, just like the poem.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
The two younger ones ‘wanted’ to know what was in them….in the most desperate of ways. In the room, they sat observing the tree like two little angels; once I was in the kitchen they descended on the packages like vultures. They knew anytime I went to the kitchen I would be gone; lost in preparing a meal or doing the dishes. This would give them the time they needed to inspect the packages.
They talk of rewrapping them so expertly….that I never knew. To this I say, “HA!!” Did they think I was deaf as well as blind? How many of you can tell when someone has been in a package? I bet even John and Becky could tell…..NOW! How do they think we knew all this stuff? Because……..we were kids once, too. I used to think I was so clever in my deceptions that no one would ever be the wiser. As I grew older and had children of my own, I of course, knew what to look for. The children always thought I had eyes in the back of my head but what was in my head…….was history and experience.
John was so wired by Christmas eve after family gifts were opened that sleep would never come. This was inspired by George, who one night, absolutely heard Santa’s sleigh bells going over our house. He tiptoed into Becky’s room to look out her window, wake her, and tell her of this great phenomenon. John was too small at the time to be an insider of this special event. Filled with this and other real or imagined stories of Christmas lore made it impossible for him to sleep on THE night Santa would come.
Most often on Christmas eve night their dad and I would tumble into bed about 1:00am after sewing clothes for a Barbie doll and putting up a gas station with a thousand pieces. ALL of the pieces were never with the set and so there were delays upon delays. By the time we finished Santa’s work for him we were totaled. One night we had only been to bed about an hour, when I woke with start. (yes, just like the poem.) I heard a muffled noise coming from the bathroom which was next to our bedroom. I could also see a light shining around the edges…..someone was in the bathroom!!
I sprang out of bed to see what was the matter (yes, just like the poem.) and when I opened the door………there sat little John, sitting on the floor with his stocking and the contents strung out all over the place. He was so excited he didn’t even consider he might be caught in a guilty act. He enthusiastically showed me what Santa left and then darted in to wake his brother to tell him what Santa left for him…..then to Becky’s room. So everyone is up at 2:00am with everyone clutching their favorites for the year before we could get some needed sleep.
Somehow the loss of sleep, the tired, the weary hours getting to this point are lost in memory now. What I do remember is how happy the kids were….and if I think about it I can hear their youthful voices and those dear little faces all smiley and happy….after it all died down we settled in for a long winter’s nap….I’m sure I heard a jolly old elf call ere he drove out of sight…. “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”………………..yes, just like the poem.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
