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A Christmas Tale... (N.S.)
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A Christmas Tale... (N.S.) I rubbed my aching back, putting toys together for the better part of three hours sitting in the middle of the living room floor was always grounds for a back ache. I sighed and looked up at the clock, it was nearly 3:30. I looked at the three stockings hung from the dresser that served as a fish tank stand, to the modest, 4 ft imitation pine that sat twinkling infront of the window. Packages of all shapes and sizes sat in front of the tree, half in Spiderman paper, the other half in pink and green Disney Princess paper. The stockings were full of random goodies, The blue and white Lightning McQueen one was stuffed with chocolate and matchbox cars that had a life expectancy of twenty minutes out of the package before "Stinky" the talking garbage truck ate them. . I shake my head and chuckle. It was the one thing that little man had begged for this year, hopping up and down excitedly as he conspired with the mall Santa. . The purple stocking next to it featured Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" Inside was an equal share of chocolate a small "I Can Read Myself" book and a barbie. For Christmas this year my big girl wanted a Princess ZhuZhu pet play castle. I don't get the appeal of mechanical hamsters that coo and repeatedly smash themselves head first into the nearest object but ok. When I was her age I got a toy race track and an erector set. How on earth did I get such a girly little girl? . I sighed, everything look right and I was dead tired, the tree would stay lit when I went to sleep tonight, it was the one night we left it on all night, that was tradition. My stocking hung inbetween the two with cartoon smiles, a simple burgundy stocking, no flashy colors or bright characters. I really didn't even like burgundy, I just picked it late in the Christmas season a few years ago, and went with the one I liked best. It served my purpose to house the two chocolate oranges that I would refuse to share with my tomorrow, for a while. I picked myself up and gathered my tools, the screwdriver I'd been changing batteries with, the scissors, the tape, and the left over paper. Time to catch a little shut eye before the poof in the morning. . You know, 6:30 comes awful quick when you didn't lay down until 4 and toss and turn until the ache in your back gives way. I pull myself groggily into the living room and smile as my start playing with their "Santa" presents. At our house, you get one or two presents from Santa and whatever is in your stocking comes from Santa, everything else is from Mommy. Santa presents don't get wrapped they just sit, ready to play with, infront of the tree. Later we'll go over to grandma's and trade presents with the siblings/cousins. The start making their individual mountains of presents, maybe 20 or so each, Nothing too expensive, new DVDs from the 5 dollar bin, clothes, a few toys. Santa had dibs on the biggest and most expensive toy of course. . Their mountains divided, the tree bare, and mommy settled onto the couch with the digital camera to capture every moment. The fray begins, paper goes flying as they dig into the gifts. It takes a little encouragement to get little man to move on to the next package, each thing he opens he thinks he must play with right now, and his eyes keep going to that talking garbage truck that Santa brought. Big girl is an old hat at Christmas, she keeps digging for the presents she hasn't opened yet. At some point she stops and looks at her brother, his presents, herself and her presents and mommy sitting there with the Camera. . "Mommy?" I set the camera down and stop proding little man to open the next one. "Yes, baby?" She looks very confused, "Mommy.... where are YOUR presents?" I smile softly, "I'll open my presents at Grandma's later." She looks a little more confused, "But Mommy, those presents are from Grandma, and Aunt Ka, and Uncle Brian, and Aunt Beth, and our cousins, and stuff. Where is your Santa present? I saw you talk to him, I know you asked for one." She stops to think and her eyes go wide. "Mommy were you on the naughty list this year?!?!?" She asks. . I pause to chuckle, "No, baby." I hold out my arms and she scrambles into my lap, little man realizes something is serious when sissy talks about being on Santa's Naughty list and he comes over too. "Mommy, you can play with my Stinky..." He ponders for a minute, "for a while." I chuckle and give him a hug, "Thank you, bubby, but Mommy doesn't want your Stinky. He's very cool, but he's not what Mommy asked for for Christmas." My big girl tilts her head, "What did you ask for, Mommy?" . "Mommy's present isn't something that Santa can wrap, or something that can sit under the tree, atleast not really. You see Mommy asked Santa to make you smile, to make sure you got the things you've asked for. That's what Mommy wanted for Christmas. Sometimes Mommy worries, because we don't always have the things you want, and you ask me for things all year long, when you see a commercial, or we're in the store. Alot of times, Mommy has to say no..." . My big girl chimes in, "Because we can't afford them." I smile a little sadly, "That's right honey. Mommy has to buy you warm clothes that fit, and food for your grumbly belly," I tickle her belly and she giggles, "And soap to make our clothes smell nice, and shampoo to make your hair pretty. If Mommy buys you all the games and toys you wanted all year, we wouldn't have the things we NEED to live everyday and be clean." . "But at Christmas time, Santa helps Mommy just enough, that we get some of the things that you've been wanting all year, new toys to play with, and some clothes, and some new movies to watch. It's one of the only times of year that Mommy can say "yes you can have that"." I give her a big hug. "These things makes you smile and Mommy is really happy when you smile. Since Santa gave you these things and these things make you smile, then Mommy got what she asked Santa for, you see?" My big smart girl pauses for a minute. "But don't you want things too Mommy?" I smile, "Honey, things are nice. They can make us happy, but sometimes, it's not things that make us happy, this is one of those times, Baby." Don't feel bad that Mommy didn't get things, can you help Santa give me what I asked for?" She thinks back over all the things I had said, and little man is eyeing that talking garbage truck again, after a minute or two she throws her arms around my neck and gives me a great big hug, Little man isn't sure why but he gives me a bear hug too. My big girl leans back looks up at me and SMILES  Easily distracted by shiney objects |
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Very nice and touching story. Looks like you could use a little R & R 
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