I think I was four, my brother was about two and a half, and we were fostering a little girl at the time, Christina, who was eight. My mom said to me and Christina the evening before that we could open our presents as soon as we woke up.
That's probably not how she said it, but that's how I heard it. (A lesson in making sure your childen understand they don't mean it literally.)
So what do you think happened when we woke up? I flew out of bed, straight for the present-piled tree downstairs. Christina, being the older wise one, tried to talk me out of it.
I said, "No! She said as soon as we woke up!"
See? That's how I heard it.
I couldn't read at the time. I just remember grabbing gifts, wildly tearing away the paper not knowing who the present was meant for, saying "COOL!" everytime, and setting the gift aside, eager for another. Imagine the anger tornado that ensued when my parents woke up. To say it was not pretty was an understatement. I think I saw actual steam come out of my mother's ears.
She tossed all the presents in a box and told us we were not having a Christmas, she was so heartbroken. Later, though, being the loving mother that she truly is (Hi, Mom:) she sat us down and redistributed every gift to its intended owner. I do remember being a little disappointed when some of the gifts I'd thought I was going to keep were not meant for me. But at least we still had our Christmas, and all was well in the end.
Do you have any great Christmas stories?
Share with me your happy.
