They Get It !!!

The stress of the holidays is over for me as of today. And what a joyful day it is! This year I agonized more over the changes we made in family rituals than anything else.

We did not make our annual Christmas Eve drive through the upper crust neighborhood to see the lights. Too crowded and very frustrating for children who are eager for Santa to come. Deep inside I didn't want my children to associate affluence and opulence with the holidays. It just sends the wrong message.

I worried the kids would be disappointed that they were only getting four presents each under the tree.

I severely curtailed the sweets that went into their little bodies this year. It's a shame I didn't do the same for me.

Rather than letting them run amok, stay up late, and sleep in even later, my children have been held fairly closely to their regular schedule - for everyone's benefit.

Our Christmas morning began like so many other people's did today. We got out of bed with great excitement. Ian checked Santa's cookie plate to make sure the piece of chocolate cake he left had been eaten. For him, this is the sign that Santa is real. Each of us then checked our stockings to see what little treasures the big bearded guy left us. Naturally, Ian and Ainsley wanted to get to the big packages quickly.

Each box brought squeals of joy, especially the two marked "from Santa". For the first time ever, when the unwrapping was done, no one asked "Aren't there any more presents for me?" Ian and Ainsley were ready to start playing. More presents would have meant a delay to the real action.

Neither of them expressed disappointment in any of their gifts. They were thrilled with each one.

One of the coolest parts of the day was the cooperation and sharing that took place. Not once did I hear, "MOMMY...Ian took my [whatever toy she wanted at the moment]!" The arguments came in the evening when it was time for baths and the kids didn't want to stop playing. That's just normal kid stuff, and I can deal with that.

I know much of this simply means my kids are getting older, more mature. But the difference between today and last week is astonishing. A little of that was pre-holiday anticipatory monkey business. I think they are beginning to trust the predictability of some things. They can trust the goodness in each other, in their parents, in the dude with the red suit, in most people. Being pleasant to others has its rewards.

Please . . . please . . . please last a little while longer . . . maybe forever?