This year at Christmas

I'm quite sure that in the nearly 2 years I've been writing this blog, I have mentioned how much I love Christmas. For a few years, say teens to 22, my favorite holiday was Thanksgiving for the food and family factors. But since having Jay there has been nothing close to my love for Christmas. To see how excited my kids are about Santa bringing them this, that, and the other, creating holiday traditions of our very own, and how much they enjoy decorating the tree...what's not to love?

Today I pulled the red and green boxes up from the basement because we are getting our tree later. Some 350 days have passed since I packed Christmas ornaments away and I still get sentimental when I pull Jay's "Baby's First Christmas" ornament from its safe bubble wrap cocoon. And although I didn't get much excitement from him, my heart warmed when I showed Nas his first ornament from 2004. I started thinking back to that December 25 when Jay woke me and Babe around 6 a.m. to open presents. Our 3 month old Nas lay ever-so-tiny on the couch. He was still asleep in his footed pajamas snuggled tightly with his diapered bottom in the air. It reminded me of how much I love the holidays and my family to share them with.

Fast-forward four years: Jay is still fascinated by the magic of Santa and growing more inquisitive about him each year. She melted her mommy's heart when she asked for a baby doll and Barbie stuff. Not an I-Pod or a Wii or a stereo of her very own. I assumed she would want something a bit more "pre-teenish" and was thrilled she is still just a 7 year old girl who loves being a mommy and playing grown-up through that plastic doll known as Barbie.

Then there is the preschooler, the same one who perched his little booty into the air in what must be the most precious sleep. If not the most precious, definitely the most precious to see. While playing with the ornaments as I pulled them from the boxes Nas broke the ear off the Shrek and Donkey ornament. No surprise there. At least he's not the one year old tossing the ball ornaments like baseballs. His wish list for Santa is simple: a Bat mobile, Power Rangers, and the ever-elusive "Barracade" Transformer. I think Santa will be sure to throw in some art supplies too because at some point he decided he loved to draw and now he loves to write letters too!

It's funny because year after year my little family is okay. We struggle here and there, Babe and I argue from time to time, but in the end we're all together - healthy and growing (the kids at least!!!). There are a few ornaments that I remember buying for no more than $1, but it is the homemade ornament (because we didn't have money to buy any) and the $1 ornament that remind me of all we've been through and how far we've come.

This Christmas, with so much going on in the economy, so many families struggling just to put food on the table - I am reminded to look to the manger for just what Christmas means. I think that will be the case for many families this year because without the big bucks there are no big boxes under the tree. I will hold my husband a little closer, and squeeze my kids a little tighter because through it all we are all okay, we are all together; this year at Christmas.