They always say that Christmas is more fun after you have children and although I have always LOVED Christmas and everything that goes with it there is something truly magical about being able to experience all of the joy and wonder through their eyes. After returning home from Great Grandma's house on Christmas Eve Mayce got decked out in her special jammies and headed to bed "Uncharacteristically early" in hopes that Santa might come and visit.
Christmas morning dawned and as I prepared cinnamon rolls to take to Grandma's house for brunch Mayce slept on..and on...and on. I told Buck that you could tell that she was three and that we should enjoy this because next year she will pounding on the doors at 5am. At around 8:30 she decided it was time to grace us with her presence although she was not allowed out of her room at that point either. Buck and I had previously decided that before any gift giving took place that we would read Luke 2 with Mayce so there was no doubt in her mind what Christmas was about and what we are truly celebrating.
After we finished Mayce was allowed to head for the living room to see who had come to visit the night before. I suppose that that was the wrong choice of words because as soon as we told her to that someone had come to our house she freaked and headed straight back to her room!! After some coercion she finally made it to the living room to check everything out. She was so excited about it all!! It was cute to watch her go back and forth between gifts. We had decided long ago that our kids would not only receive toys but also practical items so that they would learn to appreciate it all not just the latest and greatest. What made me laugh was that she was just as thrilled with her Princess undies and mittens as she was with her Calico Critters and House. (Now if only we can capture and keep this attitude!)
After approving what Santa left we began "our" Christmas and what a lovely Christmas it was. Mayce received far more than she probably should have and some of it was put up for rainy days but she seemed to actually appreciate it all. The funny thing is that by the end she would automatically hold her gifts up in front of her and say "Thank you Apples and Pop Pop!" (regardless of who it was from).
After Christmas at our house we headed to Grandma's for brunch and more merriment (how's that for a holiday word). We all had a blast and Mayce thoroughly enjoyed her last Christmas as an "only." The best part though was not the family, the presents, or the food it was when we asked Mayce what the real reason for Christmas was and she looked up from opening a present and said "Baby Jesus being born in a stable."
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