Holiday Recap

It was a very full holiday season for us.
And with the tragedy that happened to the Newtown community,
just twenty miles from here,
we held the kiddos a bit tighter, savored the sweet moments a bit more this year.
Lexi had that true "holiday magic" about her.
She was filled with wonder and curiosity.

She had questions, questions, questions:
About the nativity scenes she would see,
about Santa and just how he would get to our house and down our chimney,
She had boat loads of excitement:
About baking cookies and hanging ornaments.

About sprinkling reindoor food on the yard
and welcoming guests to the house.
About gingerbread house decorating, Christmas party attending,
about Christmas carol singing,
and about spotting Christmas lights on houses whenever we drove at nighttime.

Every morning she would race downstairs to see where Harry, our elf, had landed.
Then, she would run over to the advent calendar.
We couldn't help but channel a bit of her excitement/her energy.
Being on this side of things, with the hustle and bustle,
the plotting and planning, the list making and crowd fighting,
the nose wiping and gift wrapping,
it's easy to get caught up in all the things that really don't matter much.

Not this year, though.
Not with a bursting-at-the-seams 4 year old,
and a sweet, smiley 1 year old.
And so, for the month of December,
we were reminded just how magical the season can be,
just how much excitement Christmas can bring.

We were reminded what it feels like to have a morning, a day,
filled with nothing but happiness.
Vic and I agreed that it rivaled the days of being kids ourselves,
racing down on Christmas morning.
And as we take the decorations back down, pack them away for next year,
get back to our daily routines,
it is those memories we will hold closest.