Advent Calendar - December 9 - A Christmas Preview

I can remember, as the days in December ticked by, getting more and more anxious and excited for Santa’s big night to arrive! I was one of those children who relished the thrill of waiting for the big Day to get here! I truly did! I thrived on the anticipation, and then the excitement of rushing into the living room and finding the gaily-wrapped packages, big and small, and tearing open the paper to discover what hidden treasure lay inside!

However, my little sister, who is a mere 20 months younger than I, was one of those children who couldn’t wait.

Literally.

My sister would hunt in closets and the attic, and under beds, and behind doors, and in cedar chests, whatever and wherever, it took in order to find those hidden packages. [Yes… she was the one who tried to spoil my Christmas fun by leaking that nasty rumor that Mama and Daddy were really the big SC – Santa Clause. Thankfully, I never believed her; although I understand way too many people do believe that fallacy! How unfortunate for them!]

Of course, all that snooping made my little sister privy to what lay in store for us come Christmas morning! And being the good nosy little girl she was, she just had to try to tell me as well!

“But don’t you want to know, Cyndi?” she’d offer me. “No! Go away! I don’t’ want to know till Santa brings it to me!” I’d yell through my closed bedroom door.

Eventually, of course, Mama caught on that my sister was finding those Christmas goodies, and began to wrap the presents as she purchased them. [The only problem with that strategy was that Mama began buying for Christmas the day after one Christmas for the following Christmas! And in doing so… she often forgot what was in each package! Nope…. Poor Mama never did keep a list or anything to help her, just relied on her memory. This sometimes resulted in us getting not one, but two or three of the same gifts! But we didn’t mind!]

From that Christmas forward, until she got married and left home, my dear little sister was able to look at a gaily wrapped parcel beneath the tree and say “I know what that is!” and name the gift before it was ever opened!

Me?

I still love the thrill of waiting till Christmas morning, rushing into the living room and seeing what Santa has left me! Sometimes my Mama or my sister will ask me, “I got you a present for Christmas, do you want it now or wait till Christmas Day?” My reply is always “I’ll wait!”

I just love Christmas! The beautiful old carols, the corny Christmas music and movies [yes, I do have a huge collection of every Christmas movie I can find! And, yes, “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye remains my number one favorite, with Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life” coming in at a close second, and ANY VERSION of Dickens “A Christmas Carol” rounding up the list of absolute favorites! But no Christmas is complete without watching the 1960’s versions of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town”, and “Frosty the Snowman”!!! Why, it would almost be a sacrilege not to watch them!

Yes, I love all of the splendor, and the decorations, and the music and the movies, and the parties, and the tasty goodies that tend to build the anticipation, all the way up to Christmas morning! Then the ripping and the tearing and the smiles and the laughter as gifts are opened in front of the tree!

But more than any of that, I treasure the moment of “Merry Christmas” and hugs and kisses beneath the mistletoe with the ones you love most dear! These days, it’s mostly phone calls from the kids and grandkids. But my dear hubby and I celebrate together, and then we go over to my sister’s house, since my parents live with her. And for a little while…just a little while…. we are those two little girls waiting eagerly to open our gifts from Santa once more! And, oh my, yes…. I do love this Season!!!