In our household, Christmas starts with the decoration of the tree. So a fornight ago, when we told him that Mummy had returned with the tree in the back of the car, he nearly peed his nappy with excitement (I'm sure he probably did). He ran outside, begging to be picked up so that he could see the Christmas Tree inside the car. His reaction was not quite as expected - the poor boy looked despondent. When I asked what the matter was, he merely pointed at the huge Douglas Fir in our front garden, as if to say "That's a proper tree, not that six-foot sapling!"
Luckily the rest of Christmas was a little more appreciated. This being his second time round, he was a little more savvy. For example, he knew that the presents were more interesting than the wrapping paper and that most of the presents were for him. He'd even started opening presents when our backs were turned on Christmas Eve!
In the lead up to Christmas, he'd been getting chocolates daily from a Father Christmas advent calendar. So on the big day, when we went downstairs and asked him what Father Christmas had brought for him, he screamed "Chocolate!" at the top of his voice and ran to the advent calendar rather than the tree!
Christmas was a wonderfully festive occasion this year, made all the more special by our little tearaway. We hope the same is true for all of you and from all of the family...
Comments