By now, if you have the time to read this, you are exhausted.
Most likely you are sitting in front of the last present to wrap.. with an empty container of tape, one bow left and not enough wrapping paper to save your life.
You contemplate a brown paper bag, and how low that will send your Pinterest ratings… Or maybe you could start a trend and your approval rating will soar!!!!
You could just hide it in a closet and right out a puzzle for them to search and solve… Calling it a scavenger hunt?
I totally understand.
I get you!
Years of wrapping presents and taking the kids to recitals and choir practices and performances and that final Christmas Eve church service…. Where I literally sat… the entire time… trying to devise an excuse as to why you needed to get to sleep quickly.. so Santa Would come visit us… And how long this year would I need to finish assembling the toy we bought you so we could get it under the tree in hopes of at least an hour of sleep???
I dreamt of just an hour of sleep!
Trust me…. You are tired… But enjoy this moment.
You will miss it when it’s gone!
Last night as we had our family dinner with our parents I stood in the kitchen looking into the living room… The tree plugged in and smelling nice. The presents underneath… Not a lot, just a few… And the sadness fell over me. I won’t get that rush of feet pitter pattering and the sound of glee in the early morning.
Our children, and our grandchild are 800 miles away. Starting there own lives and their own traditions. We celebrated Christmas with them earlier in the month and while it is loving and rewarding… There is nothing that can replace the Christmas morning adrenaline of excitement and magic.
Nothing.
Santa Magic is REAL!!!!
And while I know you are tired….. You will miss this moment. So stop. Enjoy it. Don’t worry about being exhausted…. You will always be exhausted. All Mom’s are exhausted. It’s part of being a mom!
This moment… these next 24 hours that are ahead of you are the most priceless moments of the entire year.
Last night I flashed back at my grandfather’s… each year the look on their face, the way they sat and starred at us kids, as we frantically unwrapped all the gifts put in front of us. And then at my kids as they opened their presents…. They got it!!!! They were savoring it! The moment!!! They knew the secret!
It doesn’t last!
The magic moves on!!!
Enjoy every single minute of the madness and exhaustion and chaos! Because when they grow up there will be no little one’s to tuck into bed… to stand on the outside of their door and listen for the sound of their sleep breathing…. Before you dare eat Santa’s Cookies…. and drink the eggnog! Leaving the empty plate and cup for them to find in the morning…. There will be no fighting over who is going to lick the beater blades of all the frosting… Or who will get to eat the first cookie out of the oven…. And you will soon not make the cookies anymore..
Sure, the kids will come home. They will bring their children if they are lucky to get the time off… but trust me… It just isn’t the same as this moment you have right now!
And while I know you look at me with a deep tired sigh and exclaim how you envy me…. The quietness of my house, the peace that is inside my walls…. But what I am not telling you.. is that I miss the moments you are living through right now! I miss them dearly, and I just wish I could explain the feeling in my heart… so you could truly enjoy them… even through the utter exhaustion you are feeling right now! All of us mom’s with adult kids MISS these moments!
There is magic in the air… and you are all miracle workers! So dust off your magic wand… grab your large thermos of coffee.. and sing that warrior song of ours…. You got this!!!! The home stretch is in sight!!!!
Trust me… toothpicks don’t work well at holding up those eye lids…. Coffee does wonders… and when you finally get to go to sleep…. A swig of Captain Morgans Dark Rum will put you out in under 15 minutes. (wink)
Live the life we all miss so much!!!!! And post your photo’s on Facebook so we can all live it through you!!!!
Merry Christmas to all the Mommies out there wrapping presents and making cocoa right now!!
The Bettencourt's 