As I was scrolling through Facebook memories a few days prior to Christmas, I saw a post I had written reminding my Facebook friends to take pictures of their holiday celebrations. The post was after my dad had passed away, and I bet I was thinking about wishing I had more pictures of him on Christmas.
I made a mental note to myself to also take photos this year. Zack is 3, and he will only be 3 once. This is the first year he really "got" Christmas, in the way 3 year olds can, and I wanted to... in the words of Taylor Swift...."capture it, remember it".
But I forgot.
I took about 4 pictures.
While we were opening presents, I was very much IN the moment, watching Zacks' face to see if he'd be excited or surprised. I wasn't thinking about grabbing my phone to take a picture. And once all the presents were unwrapped, I felt a deep sadness that it was just...over. All that anticipation, planning, hiding gifts upstairs...and it was over.
So, since I didn't take many pictures, I decided I needed to write down some of the things I want to remember about Christmas 2024. I can "capture it" in words.
That this is the first year Zack understood that Santa was going to come to our house and leave presents
Zack calls every deer he ever sees a "reindeer", and was HYPED when we saw an actual real reindeer at the Rochester Village Mall.
On Christmas Eve, when doing our traditional reading of "A Night Before Christmas" with my family, Zack so badly wanted to take part in having a "turn" that he just explained what he was seeing on the page. He said something like "oooh snow it's cold and Santa get a bellyache".
Zack has a small stuffed Santa doll that he hugged tightly on Christmas Eve and said "I love you, Santa".
Zack called ornaments "ormamints"
I gifted Zack a new bathing suit, and when he opened it he said "swim class! I gotta go put it away" and ran in his room to put the bathing suit away.
Zack's favorite "Christmas Song" this year was "That Time of Year" from the Frozen Olaf's Adventure Soundtrack.
Christmas Eve was just the four of us, and we had salmon (chicken nuggets for Zack) and homemade mac and cheese.
The weather was warm enough for Zack and me to go for a post present opening walk.
We spent the evening of Christmas Day at my moms house. It was a true joy to watch Ryan and Cara open their presents from everyone. They found out earlier in the day that they were going to DisneyWorld in August, so many of their gifts were in relation to their big trip!
Watching Ryan and Cara play with Zack, just as all of us have played with them over the years.
Zack finally warming up to Uncle Dave and running all around the house with him, squealing in delight.
My mom catering the perfect meal, and hosting all of us at her home.
The cozy, welcoming feeling of being amongst family members who are kind, loving, and supportive.
Being married to a man that is gentle and kind, and who adores his son. Watching Zack and Tom interact, be silly, play together is one of my favorite things.
And the last one I want to remember, which is going to be totally disgusting if you weren't there:
The audible laughter that came out of Zack as Uncle Jon burped on demand, and the high pitched laugh that came out of me when Uncle Jon imitated my dad's fart sound.
Truly; it was a wonderful Christmas. Watching it happen through the eyes of your own child is really a remarkable experience. To him, everything was magical and special. And Tom and I gave him that. We may not have the Pinterest/Instagram perfect house or Christmas photos or crafts, but we have a lot of love to give in this house. Love that comes in many forms. We find joy in each other's joy. We protect each other's peace. We encourage each other. And at the end of each day, we share in our gratitude for what we have and for each other.
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