Changing Traditions

            We had a great Christmas the year that Jenna had turned one.  That was the year we had spent opening gifts ALL DAY - something I had wanted to do for such a long time, but not everybody else was always in favor of doing that - at least at the same time.  We hadn't planned on doing it that year either.  It just happened to work out that way.  It was awesome!

            We had Roland's two other girls.  They had stayed over Christmas Eve night.  Christmas morning for all of us - not just certain siblings.  They were all there.  The girls had even brought with them four gifts for all of us.  The ward had done a sub-for-Santa that year and had included the girls.  We were loaded down with gifts - lots of them!  And we had scheduled ourselves to feed a brunch to the missionaries at 11:00.

            I don't remember how early we started to open the gifts.  We explained to the girls that we opened our gifts only one at a time so that we could all watch.  Pamprin wanted Tony to unwrap all of his gifts first . . . he did open one from Santa at her request.  But with eight of us opening gifts in turn, and Jenna still unsure about what to do with the gifts, it definitely took longer than I recall ever having had done on Christmas.  I knew that we had to start preparing the food, and so told whoever was playing Santa Clause that all gifts that were opened had to have Frances and Pamprin's name on them (whether to or from) so that we could enjoy our gifts from one another with them.

            I think there were one or two gifts left (that were either to or from the girls) when the missionaries arrived.  We had made up stockings for the missionaries: Elder Ma'Alona, Elder Anderson and the one we called "Elder Third Wheel" who'd be going home at the upcoming transfer.  Elder Ma'Alona had brought gifts also.  One was a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.  I don't know if any of the girls got any of them or not.  Our plan was to leave right after breakfast.   

          Meanwhile, Jenna had finally gotten the hang of opening gifts and opened a present from the girls to their brothers.  After breakfast, Roland returned the girls to their mom and met the rest of us at my mom's house.  We had gone to meet my sibs and their families and exchange gifts.

            We opened presents one at a time.  We weren't at the point of drawing names yet and so it took a while to open them all.  And then we played games.  We got home just after 8:00 and opened the remaining gifts beneath our tree.  That was really so awesome, milking out the opening of gifts.  I don't know if it was actually my favorite part of Christmas or not - but did come close.

            I wanted to do something like that this year.  Because Christmas was on a Sunday this year, it was going to add a reverence to the day that isn't a part of our routine each year.  Bill and Kayla were wise and had Santa visit the kids a day early so that the presents would be opened on Saturday rather than Sunday. I asked if we could wait until after Church to open gifts  I thought that going to Sacrament meeting would add a deliciousness that I didn't want to end.  I also wanted to read or share thoughts between each present - but as Jenna and I had these stupid coughs this holiday season, I eliminated that.

            Roland suggested that we could each open just one gift before Church started.  But Jenna felt that maybe just the stockings would be enough.  They may have been if we had started later.  Jenna's excitement got her up at 2:00 am.  I sent her back to bed, but it did not work out well for her.  She ended up curled in the big chair.  I think Roland was up at 5:00  and so we watched her open the gifts that were wrapped in her stocking.

            We stopped to eat breakfast and I suggested that perhaps we could open the gifts that our sons and families had sent.  That way if they called just after we returned home, we could thank them for the specifics.  Each of them seemed to understand our love of games as all were game themed including the minions that Jenna had received from Tony's two girls.