The Magic that is Christmas

Now that my kids are older (14 and 16 and one out of the house), Christmas just doesn't hold the same "magic" that it used to when they were little. Sure, things are much easier now - they don't care if the gifts are wrapped and I don't have to go out of my way to sneak the gifts under the tree anymore, but man, I kind of miss it.

This year, I ordered a few things online and as soon as they came in the mail, the kids were asking if they could go ahead and "open" their presents. Open being the operative word here because I hadn't even wrapped them yet. I held out as long as I could, but finally gave in last night and let them have their gifts - unwrapped. Although the kids were extremely happy, I still feel let down this morning.

There was no anticipation, no fun in watching them rip open the colorful paper to discover what's inside, nothing. Just, "Here you go. Have fun."

Next year, we're doing it differently. I'm not going to give in to their constant demands to open gifts early. I'm going to wrap every single present and place it under the tree days ahead of time, just so everyone can see them. We will wait until Christmas morning to open said gifts and have hot cocoa and listen to Christmas music.

OK, so that sounds like a plan. Now, what do I do with myself now that the holiday festivities are over before the holiday really even began?