Christmas Eve

 

This is my first Christmas as a mom. Something I always dreamed of and couldn't even imagine what it was going to be like. Last time this year I was four months pregnant and I destinctly remember laying on the couch rubbing my belly bump and looking at the tree wondering and dreaming how different the next year would be.  I even wrote in my journal about the experience. I know that my 9 month old is too young to really enjoy the twinkle of the lights on the houses and does not have any interest in baking Christmas cookies with me for Santa but I still have found joy in starting traditions.

I have wrapped gifts from Santa and kept them hidden upstairs in my closest. Is Aubrey really going to notice more gifts on Christmas morning? Know they are from Santa and that she was a good girl? Will she know that the cookies on the plate and milk has been eatten by Santa and the carrots chewed by the reindeer? Of course not. I am fully aware of the expectation of a lack of interest or understanding but it is still fun to start traditions and tell her about all the fun things we are doing and why.

Today we will be making her feet print plate for Santa's cookies. We will set them out by the Christmas tree and Aubrey will take a picture with them in anticipation for Santa. I know she will not remember her first Christmas but I will and when I tell her about it when she is older I want to show her picture to accompany the story.

We are celebrating Christmas Eve at my cousin's house and the coolest part is that they live one street away and we are literally filling the wagon with gifts for the baby cousins and walking over. My cousin M texted me this week and asked if I was bringing over a Christmas Eve present over early so that she can wrap it in the same paper as the other gifts from Santa on Christmas Eve. I didn't even consider this. As the first year as a Mom and long after the age of believing in Santa I had completely forgotten about the early Santa gift.

Every Christmas Eve after dinner (and we had to make sure that Grandpa was completey full and finished with his dinner) all the little cousins will go into a room, turn off the lights, close the door, and look out the window for Rudolph's nose. When we hear the sleigh bells the kids burst out of the room and run to the tree to see if they can spot Santa leaving the gifts. Of course, we missed him every time but he left us 1 early Christmas present for being so good that year.

This is just another blessing about being a mom. I get to be Santa this year. I get to see all the kids running out to see Santa in a whole new way.

I feel so blessed to be a mom and am so excited for all the new experiences. God has blessed me with such a fun, loving, spunky, determined, stubborn, loving little girl and I am so thankful for everything that has given me.

Merry Christmas and I hope that God blesses everyone this holiday season.