Christmas 2006....

12/25/2006

This is nuts!  It is just 6:45am on the big day.  Christmas 2006 and at this early hour the Massie children have been up for over two hours.  All the presents are opened and scattered throughout the living room and in varying stages of assembly and disarray.  The children are sitting on the floor aggravating one another, which is what children do on Christmas - at least in this family.  Most of the trash is now in bags and removed from the house.  The Nancy has gone back to bed, and while I would truly love to go with her, I know it is just a fleeting thought.  The reality of my falling asleep now is about slim and none.  The sun is not up yet and won’t be for another thirty minutes or so.  Breakfast is at least an hour down the road.  In a little while we will all prepare ourselves for the other part of Christmas, a house full of company. 

The kids ripped through their presents in about fifteen seconds.  Paper was flying everywhere.  Boxes lay around, the tops over here and the bottoms over there.  Tissue paper and other packing material was torn to shreds and tossed in little piles and big piles.  The gifts - Santa wrapped every one - included lots of electronics and other stuff.  Each got a cursory look and was laid aside for the next to be opened.  I would lay money on the fact the kids couldn’t tell you what they got without looking at the “pile” of their stuff.  But that is what kids do on Christmas; get them open and move on.

Mom is on the floor with Jon-Luke piecing together a toy.  She has just asked for a screwdriver and the AA batteries.  The Massies go through batteries like most people do ice cubes. 

But this is Christmas; it is now a little after 7am.  The sun still lay beneath the horizon.  The gifts are all opened.  Mommy and Jon-Luke are playing a game.  Jared ran off crying after firing off a Nerf gun rocket into daddy’s face.  Justin and Jessica are in the next room also playing a game.  Ken just went to the basement to clean up something the one of the kids broke earlier, and, of course, The Nancy is back nestled in her bed - most likely snoring.  As for me...I couldn’t be happier.  It’s Christmas and I am with people I love.

And that is all I have to say about that…