Christmas

- Emily had bought "Santa Claus socks" -- red socks with a Santa design on them -- to wear on Christmas Day. Thought the kids would be into them. They were: Jack saw them on Christmas Eve and, enchanted, wore them for the next day or so.

- Emily found the "Elf on the Shelf," a tradition where an elf from Santa Claus would show up on different places in the house each morning in December, then disappear overnight (to report to Santa) and return somewhere the next morning, for the kids to find him. Jack especially was into the challenge of finding him each day.

- Late Christmas Eve, after the kids were in bed, built the art table for their play room with my Dad. That was nice.

- Christmas morning, we were sleeping/setting up in the living room. Still dark. Jack awake, padding about upstairs, talking with Nana. I look up, and he's peeking around the corner of the landing. "Wait!" I say. "Not yet." Jack, evidently feeling the need to elaborate: "I"m just so excited to open my presents!"

- They dove through their stockings. Kate: "Look, Jack! Oh, it's Jessie! It's Jessie, Jack!" (From Toy Story.) Jack saw his Bey Blades and I think he gave a little shriek of delight. At one point, they disappeared. Where'd they go? I asked. Oh, the playroom, said Emily. I went down, and they were sitting at the table and chairs we'd built the previous night, pulling out markers and paper and crayons.

- Baba picked out a model police car for Jack to build. He and Jack worked on it together. At the end, there were a bunch of decals to put on, which Jack did with his own unique style.

- Aunt Linda had given us a couple of cute stocking gifts, including tiny windup robots that danced. Jack wound them up, had them dance, and danced goofily with them. A riot.

- Nana read Kate "If you're happy and you know it." Kate did everything with great exuberance, clapping, spinning around, stamping her feet.

- Jack was so excited to get the "How to Train Your Dragon" DVD. "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" You've got to love the appreciation.

- Late in the day, after presents and dinner, I was in the kitchen cleaning up. Kate walked in. "Can we open more presents?" she said hopefully.

- Kate got a couple of dollies, asked me to play with them with her. I did. She asked, "Do you love my dollies? Do you? Do you love them?" Yes, Kate, I do love them.

- One of Jack's presents was a wooden snake that came with paints, so he could make it colorful. He asked if he could paint it a couple of days after Christmas. I needed to work, but said the heck with it, sure, you bet Jack. We went down to the playroom and I spread newspaper out on the table, opened the paints. He took the little thin brushes and held the little snake so carefully, the brushes so carefully, painted every inch of it, red and green with silver glitter glue. I just sat there watching him, concentrating as he worked, seeming so intent, focused, big.