The Best Christmas Yet

Last Christmas was Siobhan’s first Christmas, and while it was very special, this year was the best Christmas yet!

I stressed about Christmas right up until Christmas eve because I was so behind schedule. I thought I would never finish my shopping, and I worried things wouldn’t be perfect, like I always do. I know this stress is self inflicted, but I can’t help it.

I went to our local Walmart early on the 23rd with a shopping list as long as my arm (I still had most of my shopping to do), and by some Christmas miracle, I was in and out of there in an hour with most of it done.

Our first Christmas celebration of the year is at my mother-in-laws on the 23rd. My in-laws are Danish, and they have a few traditions that we don’t have in Canada. One of them is dancing around the Christmas tree singing carols. We all hold hands and sing “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” at the top of our lungs while we dance around the tree. This year, Siobhan held hands too. She danced and she smiled and she danced some more. When the rest of us were ready to be done, Siobhan said “more, please” and we all danced some more.

After dancing, we open gifts, and Siobhan has this all figured out now, she tore through that paper with reckless abandon. She opened her presents, and my presents, and Tom’s presents. We had to stop her from opening other people’s presents too.

The thing that made this the best Christmas yet was Christmas morning. I’ve mentioned before that stockings are my favourite part of Christmas, and this year Siobhan was really into opening hers too. She pulled everything out exclaiming “Oh my Noodness” (she has troubles with the “g”) and making loud gasping noises if she was particularly impressed. At the end, she found her chocolate orange, and trying to peel the sticker off of it kept her occupied until the other kids had opened their stockings.

Then we went downstairs where there is usually an unwrapped present from Santa sitting waiting for our kids, but for some reason we couldn’t see any.

I told the kids I thought I had heard something in the basement last night, so they ran down there.

They were greeted by disco lights, and once their eyes adjusted their gifts were revealed. A drum set for Ethan, an electric guitar for Rebecca, a keyboard for Eleanor and a little pink microphone on a stand for Siobhan.

The kids ran to their instruments and started making noise (I won’t call it music), and while they bashed, and strummed and plink plinked, Siobhan walked over to the microphone and started singing. She had the brightest smile, and they were all so very happy. It didn’t matter that they were making a racket because it was such a wonderful moment of inclusion.

Then Eleanor asked to try Siobhan’s microphone, and like a true lead singer, she said no and sent Ellie back to her keyboard. A diva already!

I don’t think I have the words to describe the warmth in my heart and the tears in my eyes, but this Christmas morning will go down as the best in my memory because although last year was my baby’s first Christmas, this year was the year she “got it”.