Then I became a Mommy, and I discovered the joy of watching my little boy experience the magic of Christmas. Robby feeds off of my excitement. Christmas Eve I managed to work him into a near frenzy. The anticipation of Santa's visit was palpable in our house on Christmas eve.
The cookies were baked, the reindeer food was prepared and sprinkled outside. Per our neighbor's request, I doctored the reindeer food recipe. Apparently field mice like oats, which is a main ingredient in "reindeer food." Last year the field mice came out onto the street, happily munching away on their "Christmas feast" that we sprinkled to attract the reindeer. The hawks then took advantage of the opportunity, swooped down and feasted upon the mice. Hopefully no animals were harmed because of our festivities this year!
Robby and I tracked Santa Claus all day on NORAD's website. We sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town all day. When the sun finally set, we were dressed in our Christmas pajamas. All we had to do was sleep and wait for Santa.
I was surprised at how quickly Robby fell asleep. One explanation of "Santa won't come until you are asleep" prompted him to run into his room, pull the covers over his head and begin to fake snore. I wish every night bedtime could be that easy!
Unfortunately sleep did not come that easy for me. I felt silly, but I was excited about Santa coming to visit. I was feeling nostalgic for my childhood Christmases. I was anxious for Robby's reaction in the morning. Scott and I were both eager for him to discover Santa's surprises.
His presents were carefully wrapped in specially selected Thomas the Train wrapping paper. They were neatly arranged underneath the tree. I made sure all of the toys had batteries and that the fasteners were removed. It took me nearly 3 hours to get everything ready. The bows were bright and shiny. Everything looked perfect!
I was worried that Robby would try to sneak out of his room in the middle of the night, so I opted to sleep in his room. I made the correct assumption. He woke up three times in the middle of the night wanting to see if Santa came to visit yet. I became something short of a jail warden, trying to keep him captive inside his bedroom until the sun came up. This was no easy task.
Finally, when the sun came up, I released my prisoner. He practically pulled his Daddy out of bed before running into the living room. Robby stopped dead in his tracks halfway into the living room.
Santa came!
Robby was finished unwrapping his gifts in 15 minutes. It would have only taken him 10 minutes, but we managed to convince him to stop to sing "Jingle Bells." By the time he was finished my carefully selected wrapping paper was shredded and discarded around the living room. My beautiful bows were stuck to the floor, to the table, to the couch and a red one was stuck to Scott's rear.
In mere minutes Scott and I found ourselves knee high in a post-Christmas tornado of boxes and trash. When asked about a favorite gift, Robby simply says that he got a "big big big pile of presents." He seemed most impressed that Santa ate the cookies that were left by the fireplace.
After the fury of the present opening finished, I managed to pull Robby away from his toys long enough to eat a Santa shaped pancake. Scott and I exchanged a high-five in the kitchen. We managed to execute the perfect Christmas morning for our little boy.
Driving to my Mom's that afternoon, Scott and I reflected upon Robby's reactions to the morning events. Pure joy shone on his face when he saw Santa's surprises. Our little boy was delighted and nearly giddy with happiness.
We both agree. The only thing better than being a little one on Christmas morning is being the parent of a young child on Christmas morning. Seeing him on Christmas morning, tearing into his presents and giggling, was the best gift I could have received. The memories will last me a lifetime, even though my special wrapping paper and meticulous presentation was destroyed within moments.
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