Now It's Christmas Eve

What is it about Christmas Eve?  Even at 5:20 in the morning it feels magical to me.  I woke up singing Kermit's song from the Muppet Christmas Carol: One More Sleep Til Christmas.  And he's right, the world does have a smile and a glow today.  I'm not talking about the kindness of strangers at the grocery store or family members all of a sudden behaving better, although both of those would be nice.  I'm talking about a feeling inside of me, like the sunrise of hope.  And seriously, the sun has not even risen yet.

Today I feel the childlike elation of knowing good things are going to happen, and not because I think I'm going to receive some awesome presents tomorrow, which would be great but immaterial.  What I get to do tomorrow is watch my daughter open gifts, give gifts, and start to understand what it means to be generous, and to receive generosity.  I know she will be jumping all over the place like a jumping bean, excited and hyped up and blissfully happy, and I like watching that.

Christmas really is different when you have kids in your life.  Not that you have to reproduce or adopt to feel the magic, but just having kids in the family or in your circle of friends makes it different.  You remember how Christmas felt when you were a kid, and you still kind of half-believed there might be a pony or a new bike under the tree?  Well, having a kid in your life can bring some of that magic back, really it can.  So if you're someone who has a hard time getting excited about Christmas, but you used to really love it, my prescription is: get to know a kid and be a part of their lives at Christmas.  Totally worth it.

Merry Christmas, my fine, feathered bloggy friends.  Soak it in.  Enjoy.