The holiday spirit ...

December 27th, 2007

Clint and I began buying presents around May . . . and we stock up each and every year for the kids. I search for the perfect wrapping paper and matching bows. I send out 120 Christmas cards. The Christmas decorations come out right after Halloween. The house is lined with beautiful blue icicles all around the outside of the house. The tree stands 9 feet tall (thank goodness we have volted ceilings). The stocking are hung on the fireplace. My tree is color cordinated with blue and silver along with the rest of the house. We right letters to Santa and the kids go crazy when they get a letter in the mail from Santa. Christmas music is always playing along with all the movies that are on the tv.

I made over 300 cookies this year (yes I like to think I am Martha Stuart at times). We have a Christmas tradition of baking cookies and frosting them on Christmas Eve for Santa. We even sit out apples for the reindeer and oatmeal is scattered on the front lawn for them to eat. Of course you have the perfect outfits that are bought and matching pjs for the whole family. Then there are the personal gifts that you think about year round on who you are going to get what.

Then . . . comes Christmas morning. The kids woke us up at 6 am bouncing off the walls because they saw a glimpse of the living room as they came running into our room. "Santa came!" "Santa came!" They are jumping up and down as Clint and I are trying to open our eyes. I feels like we just got to go to sleep. Well, wait a minute . . . Clint and I did not even get to bed until 2 am from everything that we were finishing up. Not to mention Breeanna was the last one to fall asleep and that was at nearly 11 pm. But from their excitiemnt . . . we are excited and throw on the slippers and take off down the hall.

With in an hour . . . there is wrapping paper all over every inch of the living room floor. Ribbons are stuck to the kids heads and they are laughing out loud from it. The toys . .. what can I even say about the toys . . . it looks like the North Pole exploded in our living room. No one is even sure where anything is from all the wrapping paper.

But wait . . . we are not done! After ALL those toys that Clint and I "JUST HAD" to buy them . .. comes taking them out of the boxes and putting them together! Who in the world has the job of putting the toys "securely" into the boxes?!?!?!?! They sure are NOT a parent! If you have not had the "privalage" of taking kids toys out of boxes . . . thank the toy gods. These are a pain in the rear end! Why is there a need for so many twisty ties on a simple car or Barbie doll? Siscors do NOT get them off! Wire cutters do NOT get them off (well, easily that is)! Your hands . . . forget about them getting all those twisty ties off . . . not happening! If anyone out there knows who does this as their living . .. send them my way! Clint and I are STILL working on getting toys out of boxes and it is no longer Christmas Day! UGH!!