It's about tip toeing through my Nanna's sewing room, praying you didn't impale you foot on one of the thousands of pins embedded in the carpet, a glistening, silvery, deadly sharp testament to the years of sewing, dress fittings, wedding gowns and alterations that had been done in the room since before we were born. If you managed to make it across the ocean of booby traps to the base of the Christmas tree, the reward was usually a pin in the arse as you relished in your success and forgot to check for pins in your chosen seating area.
The smell of freshly cut grass, the heat of summer, sitting in a loquat tree eating the fruit, moving on to the plum trees and eating the fruit, having fruit related diarrhoea for a moment, everyone buzzing with excitement about seeing one another and trifle.
Since having our own family, we have created a Christmas Eve tradition of opening presents containing new pyjamas and cuddling together on the couch to watch a movie. My choice is always National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
I love Christmas. I love watching people open their gifts and seeing the expression on their face as they get something they didn't expect. I love making people happy.
This proves to be expensive every year, much to The Man's dismay. I lost my phone for 4 days recently, and I think his biggest shock was that it didn't slow my online shopping for a single moment.
I'm pretty awesome like that.
But I don't seem to have any self control. It's all about the giving, people. GIVE ALL THE THINGS!! And it's about showing people that I have listened throughout the year and got them something they said they liked in January and most likely did nothing about because it wasn't that awesome, but the point is, I LISTENED AND NOW YOU HAVE IT!!
I also go off on my own tangent and buy things just because. Which is almost all the time.
So when The Man came home from an interstate work trip, our conversation went something like this...
HIM: I'm so glad to be home...
ME: I'm glad your home too - you have to see the last few little things I got for Christmas!
HIM: Were these the purchases you warned me about on Friday when you called me?
ME: Yep, but don't worry about the cost, just think how happy people will be when they see all these lovely things!
HIM: Okay, show me...hang on - how is this mountain of bags 'a few small things'!?
ME: Because they're smaller than a car? Oh, there are also 3 boxes in the store room, too.
HIM: .....!
ME: How about I get you a drink?
I took it upon myself not to mention the varied items hidden throughout our wardrobe, random places in the house and the stuff I have hidden at my parents house. But, on the off chance he reads this...
Sweet, don't get upset. Take a deep breath and remember that murder won't return all the stuff. And neither will I. Love you!
Anyway, from there he proceeded to mock (and when I say mock, I mean he stood there with a smirk on his face, shaking his head before saying 'you're so funny when you get excited over imaginary people visiting the house') my efforts at making Christmas a bit magical and special for the girls. Well, mostly for Miss 4, Miss 1 is still a bit vague on the details.
Miss 4 seems to have this set idea of what Father Christmas (FC) should look like, and a crucial part of his appearance is his glasses. So crucial, in fact, that she was moments away from branding the local photo FC as a fake when I had to hurriedly explain that he was wearing his contacts because the reindeer stepped on his glasses and he needs to get them fixed.
So when I was out shopping last week I came across some dress up FC glasses, and I bought them so I can put them out on Christmas Eve and when Miss 4 comes out in the morning, there will be a letter from FC saying he got his glasses fixed and he wanted her to have a pair just like his. Or something like that, I haven't got the details set.
Yes, I put my hand up and confess I am one of those parents who creates a template to put baby powder bunny prints on the floor at Easter. Yes, I put TimTams and milk out for Father Christmas. I put carrots and water out for the reindeer.
I know none of it's real. Yes, I know in the grand scheme of things, she will eventually discover it's all a ruse. But in the meantime, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep the magic alive...because Miss 4 has a big mouth and the moment she discovers FC is fake, she'll tell her sister and anyone who will listen, within a 100km radius of our town.
And then the magic will be dead for everyone. EVERYONE!
But I suppose that means The Man and Miss 4 will then be fighting over the Bah Humbug hat.
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| Image found here |
With any luck, I'll pass on my love of Christmas to Miss 1 and the magic will continue.
Even after she finds out the truth.
Do you have any family traditions or memories that make Christmas magic for you?
