Christmas was better (when we were younger)

My sister, her husband, their baby and I were sitting in the California Pizza Kitchen.  The place was packed, it was a Saturday night after all and Christmas season to boot. Holiday shoppers stopped in for a bite to eat and little girls danced around in puffy dresses with matching headbands and tights waiting to be seated.
Hell, even the restaurant showed it's own enthusiasm for holiday spirit with lights and glass balls.

"Man..." my sister started, "Christmas was way better when we were kids."
"I know" chimed her husband, "The holidays suck"

The funny this not that I agreed with them, but I knew what they were talking about.  I think as adults, we all do!  The 3 of us at that table, we were not cynical people (at least not overly), we were simply a group that realized that when you are a kid, Christmas is (was)  magic and now it's, well, not.  And that sucks.

I remember being 9 or 10 and turning off the lights except the Christmas tree and put on Amy Grant's Christmas CD and pretend ice-skated all over the living room for what felt like hours.  I remember sledding in our backyard when the world was snowy white.  I remember being too old to think such a thing, but not being able to stop myself from saying "Wow, Santa came!" when I saw our presents.  I miss my brother shaking me awake in my bed at 5AM because his excitement about Christmas was overbearing for him.  I miss sitting in bed with my sisters at 5:10AM watching a movie and eating candy out of our stockings because my parents had said "forget it, go back to bed, it's 5 in the morning! You can't open presents yet!" When we'd get bored with our movie we'd start scoping out the loot under the tree...who's present was the biggest, who had more and trying to guess what was beneath the paper.

Though Dave and I have done plenty of the years to celebrate the Christmas season, the memories in my heart will always be the ones from childhood.  And we get to provide that same experience to our kids now, this is their time to learn the magic of Christmas.  And P.S. mom and dad...sorry we woke you up so early, now I know you were up until 3 wrapping presents :)


I was in Target just a week ago trying to pick out Christmas cards.  I picked up a box to get a closer look at what was on the cover.  A snow-covered cabin with glittered ice on the trees.  And inside the cabin, a yellow glow from the fire burning in the fireplace.  Outside were 2 cheery looking kids, both in coats, hats, and mittens.  One pulling the other on a sled.  Somewhere inside me I felt a loss.  What happened to those days? Did they exist?  It felt like they did but I couldn't be sure.

I put the cards back, they really weren't my style anyway.

But I bet--if I had looked a little closer into that cabin, I would have seen a girl in the living room who was pretending ice-skating by the light of the Christmas tree.