I love Christmas. Everything about the season makes me happy; the lights and songs, the family gatherings and even going to church throughout Advent and on Christmas Day. I still enjoy it today, but nothing compares to Christmas when you're a kid.
The excitement would start after Thanksgiving and come in waves for most of the next month. I tried to not get too excited, knowing that the "big day" was two or three weeks away but once we got within a week I was ready to go. Christmas Eve always seemed to be the longest day in the world (with the day you get the phone call from Chaminade informing you that you have to go to summer school a close second) which would plod along until it was time for mass. I always thought of mass as the last hurdle that separated me from the full joy of Christmas morning. "If I just get through this...." I would wonder to myself while driving to the church. Mass would come and go, dinner with the family followed and soon it was time for bed.
4:13.
A quick peek at the clock would lead to disappointment as it was much too early to bother the sleeping parents. I remember laying in bed, falling in and out of sleep just waiting for when the time was right.
If I close my eyes, I can still see the view from the top of the stairs into my living room, barely being able to see the presents underneath the tree. This was always a time of nervous energy as I waited for my parents to deem it late enough for the big trip downstairs. Sometimes it was just a peek, then maybe creep down a few stairs to get a better look; on really exciting mornings I might go all the way to the bottom of the stairs, convincing myself that it was alright as long as I didn't go into the living room. After finally coercing the parents out of bed, my father would do the unthinkable.....make us wait longer so he could set up his video camera for the big "kids walking down the stairs on Christmas morning" shot. During this time my sisters and I would conference about what was waiting for us downstairs. We would then line up (in height/age order) and walk down the stairs. Going back and watching these home videos now always crack us up because the ones from the early 80's feature squinting childrens that are blinded my the 5,000 watt lightbulb that was used the light the scene. Eventually we would make it down the stairs (half-blind) and begin the fun.
The joy of opening the presents would lead to the hours of playing with the new toys while waiting for company to come over. Some cousins would come for dinner, even more would come for dessert. When we were young we would compare presents, when we were older we would drink beers. My cousin Jimmy always had a party back at his house. What started as an excuse to drink with his friends when his parents were at my house would turn into a lasting Christmas tradition that at times seemed to have hundreds of people there. It was just another part of the great day. Sadly this party ended a few years ago once we started getting older although I bet Jimmy could pull it off again.
Christmas obviously changes as you get older. In high school you still get excited but don't let anyone know about it then in college (and beyond) you just want to sleep late. For Christmas 2009 I found myself in the second to last phase....marriage.** My wife and I just finished our first Christmas together and although it wasn't always easy, it was great. We decided long ago that we would split the holiday in two....Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with hers. We each missed our traditions but we once again learned the life lesson that just because it's different, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. We had a great time celebrating with our families and closed out the weekend with a quiet night at home watching the Islanders beat the Rangers which always makes everything better. Now it's time for sleep which will be easy after a weekend full of Christmas memories of the past and present. For the last time until next year, Merry Christmas.
**If you were wondering what the last stage of Christmas is, it would be having children which kinda resets the whole thing since you get the share the excitement with the kid.
No comments:
Post a Comment