Christmas Day

Jackson doesn't sleep in, really. Okay, compared to most kids, maybe he does. He wakes up consistently at 7:15 a.m. on the weekend. School days don't count because I have to wake him up at 6:45 a.m. It doesn't matter what time he goes to bed, he's up at the same time every morning.

The entire two-week holiday break, he slept in one day: Christmas morning.

He didn't lumber out of bed until 8:00 a.m. You're thinking, "How did you get so lucky?! My kids NEVER sleep in on Christmas!" I'm thinking, "Who's kid is this?" I was up at least 5 times the night before Christmas checking on the present and stocking status. You know, making sure none of my brothers had hid my gifts! With seven kids in the house, it's very important to have all of your gifts accounted for before the gift opening ceremony commences.

Anyway, Christmas Eve just before bed and after our friends who helped with the nativity had left, Jackson wrote a note, and left out a sugar cookie, eight baby carrots (one for each reindeer minus Rudolph -- Jackson knew just how many he needed), and a mug of milk for Santa. Jackson was so excited for Santa to come that Matt had to force him to use the bathroom before bed. Jackson's words while doing the "Potty Dance" were, "No, I have to go to bed so Santa can come." Matt's reply, "He'll wait for you to use the bathroom."

In the morning, I decided to be noisy around the house to see if Jackson would wake up. I took the mandatory Tree and Presents picture:After he woke up, it was time to introduce our new Christmas tradition: The Ringing of the Bells. It seemed a great way to welcome Uncle Robert and Aunt Kristin into our home Christmas morning.



Next step was check the proof that Santa came (beyond bringing gifts and filling stockings):



We then opened our stockings, ate breakfast, then proceeded to the living room to open our gifts. Here are some of my favorite highlights.

Gift from Dad:

Gift from Mom:

Gift from Santa:


The whole kaboodle:
As a parent, I've decided that the best part of Christmas presents was watching my kid open his.