With apologies to Clement Moore
'Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring unless you count the PC's mouse.
Stockings were emptied; under the tree was bare.
Saint Nick had come through, mostly with stuff to wear.
Grown children were nestled, hung over in their beds,
Wishing for Tylenol to still the ache in their heads.
Okay, it's not actually that bad. My son no longer lives at home, so I don't know if he is indeed hungover, but he can't be still asleep because he's working. And my daughter, who's home from college, did sleep in, but it was because she stayed up to watch Meet the Robinsons, not because she had been drinking. That's a really nice Disney animated movie that's both spec fic and family-oriented. If you haven't seen it, you might really enjoy it.
But Christmas is very different now that my kids are grown-ups. I did the stockings during the afternoon; no one even peeked. Most everything was "wrapped" in gift bags- I can claim it's for environmental reasons since we reuse them for years, but mostly I have just gotten lazy. And, the real giveaway, the "kids" now want clothes for Christmas.
Casting our family into stark contrast, we went down to my niece's for Christmas dinner. She and her husband live about an hour away in the outer suburbs of Northern Virginia. They have two boys, a one-year-old and a three-year-old. What a difference that makes! The three-year-old had been sick, which made him more demanding, but he was still fun to watch as he played with his new toys. Toys have gotten more complicated since my kids were small, but the one-year-old seemed to get the most fun from tearing the wrapping paper into tiny bits. Even more fun to watch!
The best of all possible Christmases:
snow on the ground but roads are clear .... check
family present and well .... check
little kids around but I don't have to change diapers or clean up after them .... check
So, here's hoping you got what you wanted from the holiday, and all the best for the new year!
Not a creature was stirring unless you count the PC's mouse.
Stockings were emptied; under the tree was bare.
Saint Nick had come through, mostly with stuff to wear.
Grown children were nestled, hung over in their beds,
Wishing for Tylenol to still the ache in their heads.
Okay, it's not actually that bad. My son no longer lives at home, so I don't know if he is indeed hungover, but he can't be still asleep because he's working. And my daughter, who's home from college, did sleep in, but it was because she stayed up to watch Meet the Robinsons, not because she had been drinking. That's a really nice Disney animated movie that's both spec fic and family-oriented. If you haven't seen it, you might really enjoy it.
But Christmas is very different now that my kids are grown-ups. I did the stockings during the afternoon; no one even peeked. Most everything was "wrapped" in gift bags- I can claim it's for environmental reasons since we reuse them for years, but mostly I have just gotten lazy. And, the real giveaway, the "kids" now want clothes for Christmas.
Casting our family into stark contrast, we went down to my niece's for Christmas dinner. She and her husband live about an hour away in the outer suburbs of Northern Virginia. They have two boys, a one-year-old and a three-year-old. What a difference that makes! The three-year-old had been sick, which made him more demanding, but he was still fun to watch as he played with his new toys. Toys have gotten more complicated since my kids were small, but the one-year-old seemed to get the most fun from tearing the wrapping paper into tiny bits. Even more fun to watch!
The best of all possible Christmases:
snow on the ground but roads are clear .... check
family present and well .... check
little kids around but I don't have to change diapers or clean up after them .... check
So, here's hoping you got what you wanted from the holiday, and all the best for the new year!