There was no frantic unwrapping, no fighting over whose turn it was to rip into the next gift, no grumbling about who got (or didn't get) what. Christmas with our 16-month-old was, in a word, peaceful.Abby exhibited an uncanny ability for staying focused on what could have been a pretty crazy morning. Well-meaning relatives did their best to distract her with brightly colored paper and shiny bows on far too many presents under our tree, but Abby's complete lack of understanding of the commercialization of Christmas won out. Grandparents, aunts and uncles would have been thrilled at the way she seemed surprised by every new toy or book that came out of a box. Completely unaware that there was still more unwrapping to be done, Abby savored every gift, hugged every new doll and stuffed animal as if it was her favorite, and played with every toy as if it was the only one she had (for the few minutes that elapsed before we pushed the next gift on her).
Christmas with the family of fish took 12 hours this year...and I loved every minute. We didn't open our last present until just before Abby went to bed. It was one of the most relaxing Christmases I've ever enjoyed. I'm just hoping as the kids get older that we can help them savor the holiday every year the way Abby did this year. Maybe we can turn the world's idea of Christmas on its head and help our little ones understand that the only reason there are presents is that there's one very special birthday being celebrated and that Christmas really has nothing to do with a fat man coming down from the North Pole and everything to do with a Savior who came down from Heaven.
I know Christmas morning will only get crazier as kids get older, but I have lofty goals for my family that include celebrating the real reason for the season and not getting caught up in the prevailing greed of the holiday. There will still be presents, and there will still be cookies left out for Santa...but there will also be a star at the top of our tree reminding us of that first Christmas morning in Bethlehem. Because without Jesus, there would be no Christmas. I'm determined for my kids to understand that.
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