Christmas as a Kid
by Mike
I was born and raised in the Ottawa, the capital of Canada, a real-live winter wonderland. Every year on Christmas Eve my parents would allow my brother, sister and I to open one small gift (typically from our grandparents); then we'd be scooted off to bed where we'd force ourselves to fall asleep so Santa could make his visit in peace. Every year, like clockwork, I would wake up between 2-4am and creep downstairs to see if Santa had come. "Santas" gifts would always be left on the couch unwrapped so we would be able to quietly play with them without having to wake our parents. My brother, sister and I would get one main gift each, with a stocking of little goodies and treats. After I had crept downstairs and ensured that Santa had indeed visited, I would quietly go back upstairs and wake my brother and sister. The three of us would creep back downstairs, gather our goodies and proceed to one of the bedrooms where we'd eat chocolates and play and laugh until we got loud enough (around 5-6am) that our parents would wake up too. Once the whole family was awake we would all head downstairs beneath the tree and one person would be the family "Santa" and hand out gifts to whoever they were marked for. When we were very young, my parents would set up the video camera to record our reactions of opening gifts from family who lived far away. Once all was done, Mom and Dad would cook up a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausages, homefries, toast and sometimes mashed potatoes from the night before made into "pancake fritters". All the while, Christmas music would be playing from a mix of CDs, the tree would be lit and a warm feeling floated through the air. |
|
