I still remember waking up at the crack of dawn, walking out of my room to see what Santa had left. I would search for my stuff and give the boxes a shake to see if I can figure out what the contents were. I would then rush to my stocking hung on the wall by the front door and take out all of the goodies one by one; a piece of chocolate, a deck of cards, a hot wheel or two, a word search book which I would lose before completing, and a toothbrush: a standard item in each stocking every year.
I would wait for hours until it was an appropriate time to wake up our parents then we would choose a person who would do the actual waking. My parents would wake up (probably exhausted from waiting for our eyes to get to heavy to stay awake for Santa to finish the wrapping) and wish us each a merry Christmas, my dad would begin making his coffee while mom prepared the cinnamon buns. Once the smell of cinnamon and coffee blended with the beautiful scent of the fresh pine tree it was time for the gifts.
We would all find our way to a spot; my dad would bring a chair from the dining room and place it by the tree. With coffee in hand and his Santa hat topping off his outfit of shorts and a guinea-tee he was ready to hand out gifts. One by one we would each receive one, some were from Santa and some were from mom and dad. They were each opened with excitement.
Even in years where money was tight, and that was a good number of years. My mom and dad filled under the tree, I like to think it was the one time of year that they could sit and watch their kids smile. It brought us all together. It never mattered how many presents were under the tree the most important part is the six of us spent it together.
Even as we got older and Santa was no longer real not much changed. Yeah, we didn't wake up early anymore, we didn't have to wake up mom and dad, we cursed more and made more obscene jokes that probably wouldn't happen on Christmas morning in any other house, but we still had presents under the tree from old Saint Nick and the beautiful smells that made the morning special still filled the house.
I wouldn't change these moments for anything, I want to hear my dad say in his best Santa Claus voice "to Danny from Santa", and even when my dad is no longer here the Christmas traditions him and my mother have instilled will carry on to my children. They will be 26 and still on Santa’s nice list.
I'm not a religious person, not in the slightest, so Christmas isn't about Christ, not in the slightest, Christmas is more than that to me: It is a day where family can sit together and enjoy each other’s company, smile, joke, and bring joy to each other’s lives. It's not about the amount of presents or the food; it's about enjoying every second you are with the people you love the most. Now that my siblings and I are all out on our own, and my brother is starting a family of his own, things may change a bit, but I know that we will always be spending Christmas together; maybe not physically, but in each other’s hearts.
So, to Mom, Dad, Nicole, Chris, Andrew, the rest of my family and friends; I love you and have merry Christmas.
