Christmas with children....so well worth it, even if it's not!

[CanuckSARTech]

Christmas Eve was spent with some of my side of the family. Tons of food and drink, lots of crazy kids running around, good times all over. Stayed late, and as a planned result, my wife and I put the kids down to bed fairly late.

Our 10-1/2-month-old daughter was out for the count at 9pm, and our 4-1/2-year-old son was out of it at 10pm. After the daughter was down, we had our son help put out Santa's cookies and milk, and even sprinkle some "reindeer food" (a big bagful of art sparkles and oatmeal, LOL, a family tradition on my wife's side) out on the front step and back deck to feed Rudolph and his ilk.

Both are well into their dreams of sugar plums and Webkinz and all that crap after a few zzzzz's.

So, Santa mommy and daddy started putting all the goodies out at 11pm, and doing "The Setup" as I like to call it, a skill well-learned from seeing how my parents did it over the years...

Santa's cookies and milk were half-eaten and drank - lol, my wife and I, still over-full from the Christmas Eve dinner, were actually arguing over who HAD to do it. Seven cookies and one giant glass of milk. So, drawing the short straw (and hoping to get some Christmas nookie), I bit two big cookies with giant-sized bites out of them. Half-crescents were left as a result....and a stomach that was ready to boil over. Nope...the remaining five cookies went back into the Tupperware container in the freezer. Next....the...M-I-L-K. One slight sip....oh, HELL NO. Dumped half of the glass down the drain, leaving some "Santa leftovers" as evidence in the bottom of the glass. The whole time, my wife is busting a gut laughing. Yup....yay, TEAM! Thanks hon. She then started to put things under the tree (there was no way I was bending over excessively at this point), and I proceeded to go outside to the backyard-stairs of the back deck. Trying to avoid leaving any footprints of my own visible from the dinning-room patio door, where my son would view the back deck, I proceeded to use an extended broom handle to carve out some very authentic looking reindeer-footprints into the two-inches or so of freshly fallen snow, with then what looked like a cacophony of hoofprints and destruction in the snow of where my son put the "reindeer food". LOL. My wife also wrote out a nice little "letter from Santa" for my son as a thank-you note to place on the table beside where my son put the cookies and milk. I added a P.S., to my wife's later dismay (as she read it out to him on Christmas morning, her voice trailing off, LOL) - "Mason, next time ask your Mommy or Daddy to add some Kaluha or Bailey's to the milk for Santa. Santa appreciates it."

It was about 11:40 or so by the time we were done and heading off to bed. Dad was dropping stuff all over the place, as my over-full gut was definitely not making me limber, and making lots of noises accidentally, and just getting an earful from Mom.

As we're getting to our bedroom, I said to Erin, "Boy, lucky that we didn't wake them up, huh?"

About fifteen seconds later....

Sounds from our son's room....."SANTA! SANTA, WHAT DID YOU BRING ME?!?!?"

My wife and I both freeze in our footsteps.

I whisper to my wife, "If we hear him coming out of his room, duck into our bed, and pretend like you're sleeping. We can't let him think we were up at the same time that Santa was here!"

All the while, I'm thinking to myself, oh PLEASE DEAR GAWD, don't let this little bugger serious be up for the whole shebang now! I ain't doing Christmas morning stuff at MIDNIGHT, and then not getting ANY sleep before a whole big long day of family feasts and drinks!!!

The whole time, frozen, my wife and I are not moving, just listening, and waiting for all hell to break loose around the tree....

Then, we realized something. We could hear our son mumbling away in his room.

My wife came to an epiphany, and quietly checked on him. He was dreaming...and sleep-talking! LOL.

THANK GAWD!!!!

So, we go to bed. Ten minutes before midnight....

A nice nap....

Then....

AT A QUARTER AFTER TWO IN THE FREAKIN' MORNING....

I awake to my wife surprisedly jerking awake on her side of the bed. The room is dark, but we both hear the excited breathing and can see two giant-saucers-of-eyes looking at us, wide-eyed and awake, like a midget-sized teenager on crack....

"MOMMY, DADDY.....SANTA'S BEEN HERE!!!! AND HE ATE HALF OF SOME OF THE COOKIES, BUT HE DIDN'T DRINK ALL OF HIS MILK LIKE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO, SO MRS. CLAUS SHOULD GIVE HIM HECK LIKE YOU GUYS DO TO ME WHEN I DON'T FINISH MY MILK, AND RUDOLPH HAS BEEN ON THE BACK DECK AND RUINED ALL THE NICE PRETTY SNOW, AND THERE'S PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE AND EVERYTHING, BUT SANTA LEFT ALL THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE, AND HE DIDN'T TURN THE LIGHTS OFF LIKE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SO THE HYDRO-BILL ISN'T TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

All at a quarter after two in the o'dark-stupid-A-freakin'-M.

But I wouldn't change it for the world....

[Lotusguy]

Great story, Keith! At least he didn't interrupt the aforementioned Christmas nookie

[MIKA27]

Hey Keith.

Happy New year bud.

Yep, I love your post, my wife and I have the same routine here every year, without the snow unfortunately which I miss from living in Vienna.

Our issue is that we almost always spend Christmas eve night at my wifes families as they have a tradition in Chile to have dinner and drinks 24th December whereby we stay up until midnight and then give out gifts to family. By the time midnight presents are given out, photos taken, last drinks had and we drive home, its easily 2-3am Christmas morning,. Kids both are asleep so they are taken to bed.

We end up hitting the hay around 4am after (Santa delivers presents, eats all the cookies and drinks the beer left out for him) only to be awoken around 6am by the kids for Christmas presents under the tree.

Once presents are open, setup, played with and the like, my wife and I then tend to start preparing Christmas brunch/dinner so alot of cooking which we host at our home.

I too wouldn't change a thing, we very much like Christmas and the cheer it brings to the kids and including ourselves.

[First Lady]

So can't wait to do this for Dominic might have to change it slightly for our Queensland summer but I think what you did is the same around the world...my parent did it of us and I loved it

Thanks for sharing... Brilliant

[maverickdrinker]

beautiful story Keith. What a wonderful Christmas story!!!! The look on your son's face must have been priceless!!!

[Guest rob]

Great Read, Keith. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to write it up

[AlohaStyle]

All at a quarter after two in the o'dark-stupid-A-freakin'-M.

But I wouldn't change it for the world....

Haha, too funny Keith! Not sure if you remember but we both have kids the same ages and apart roughly, except luckily for me my 4 and half old daughter likes to sleep like her daddy, which is a long time and nothing can wake her. Even Santa can't wake her! LOL

So was he up all night after that or did you get him back down???

[Ghabanos]

Classic

[Orion21]

Thank you Keith. It had a really hard laugh when I got to:

"I awake to my wife surprisedly jerking awake on her side of the bed. The room is dark, but we both hear the excited breathing and can see two giant-saucers-of-eyes looking at us, wide-eyed and awake, like a midget-sized teenager on crack...."

Great to see two wonderful parents keeping Christmas alive

[PigFish]

Great post Keith. I too have a story... no it is not a downer!!! -LOL

I have grandkids via proxy. There is usually a fuss over Christmas, and I have gone beyond caring if anyone shows up anymore. I am just tired of the drama. Show, no show, makes no difference anymore!!!

Today (Christmas) they show!!! I am on the phone talking with a friend that I have not spoken to for a while now. I am smoking a wonderful LGC MdO from the 90's that has been sitting on the top of a singles pile in one of my humidors for years now. I am enjoying it and the conversation.

I am greeted with hugs and MC wishes as they all proceed into the garage and into the house. We hardly ever use the front door!!! I am sitting on a wicker rocking chair out front with my dog, the phone, a cigar and a job-site radio listening to Christmas music.

The youngest comes out and wants to hold the dog. Okay, Trashy moves a chair over and has to get hugged for 20 minutes, sometimes causing her to cough. The kids love the dog! He sit quietly, sometime talking to the dog, nye a word to me.

I am talking cigars and humidors!

He hands me back the dog and leaves.

Next out is Deven. Deven is my favorite grandkid, and the oldest. We bought him his first bike, his BB gun (bad, bad, bad) and all the real "boy" stuff that he likes. He has a new computer and he is dying to show it to me. He knows I am talking humidors stuff and sits quietly by my side, now holding the dog. About 20 more minutes go by and he goes back inside.

Lady Piggy now peaks around the corner of the garage and says, "everyone is waiting on you, are you going to be in soon?" and I figure that it is time that I spend time with them and stop being selfish. I say adios to my amigo and hang up, put down the cigar, pick up my "accessories" and go inside.

Since I too walk in though the garage door I hear my stepson Matt, grilling Deven on what I am doing as I stand in the doorway out of their sight.

Matt: (paraphrasing) What is he talking about out there?

Deven: He is talking cigars and humidors dad!

Matt: How much can anyone say about a cigar or the box that you keep it in?

Deven: A lot dad!

Matt: ...like what, Deven???

Deven: He is talking about the adsorption of the desiccants that they use to buffer their humidors.

Matt: You mean AB-sorption don't you Deven? There is no "D" in absorption!

Deven: No dad it is ADsorption. You see dad desiccants are not sponges...

Matt: Okay Deven!

Deven: ... and it has to do with...

Matt: Okay DEVEN!

Deven: ... bonding of water molec....

Matt: OKAY DEVEN!!! His voice now fading as he is walking into another room.

Deven: molecules of water vapor too...

Matt: Okay, okay Deven.... I get it.... enough already!!!

Deven (now pursuing Matt into the living room): I just don't want Ray to hear you say ABSORPTION. I mean it might make him really mad, or think we are stupid or something!!!

Ahhh... Deven. Smart kid!!!! -LOL

Cheers, -Piggy

[Puros Y Vino]

Great story Keith. Kudos to you and the missus for going all out to make it memorable for the little guy.

[Fuzz]

Great story Piggy & Keith!

[CanuckSARTech]

Thanks guys.

Claus - unfotunately, none at that time. Santa was too stuffed to do any stuffing.

Mika - as much as we Canucks moan and gripe about the weather sometimes, being in a snowy venue during the holidays is a definite blessing and a luxiorious comfort for me. I can definitely understand your missing it from your time in Vienna. I'll ship you some snow for next Christmas, if you wish though!

Piggy, awesome! LOL.

Aloha/Ryan, we tried to get him back down, but it was pretty much hopeless - it was a LONG Christmas day, that's for sure! LOL.

Anywho, I was hoping that you guys would enjoy that little gem of a story. As my wife said to me after, "You just couldn't have thought this stuff up ourselves!" It's amazing what kids say and do, and I know that Karma still has a LONG way to go yet to get back at me for my past (and future) mis-deeds! LOL.