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Christmas Morning Magic: Celebrating the Season as it Continues to Change
Waking up to a lifetime of memories.
It’s Christmas morning. The sky remains pitch black, but I cannot sleep. Forfeiting my morning Wordle, which I typically tackle while still in bed, I pull back the covers and throw on my robe. There’s lots to do. I better get busy. Me and countless other parents attempting to perpetuate the holiday magic today.
As if on autopilot, I tiptoe down the stairs to avoid waking the rest of the family. I shush the dogs and eventually bribe them with bones to keep them quiet. Armfuls of colorfully wrapped packages await my attention in the basement, hidden from view in every available cupboard and closet. It takes several trips to haul them upstairs, then I carefully arrange them under the Christmas tree. Oh, this damn tree! It had been my bright idea to swap out the pre-lit artificial tree that never disappoints for something fresh this year. “A real tree will smell up the whole house,” I told my husband to convince him to take a trip to the not-so-nearby tree farm. “The kids will be so excited!”
Hopefully, the kids will get to enjoy it. I worried all week that the tree would live long enough to celebrate with us. Despite adding aspirin to the water and making sure the basin never goes dry, the needles are dropping…
