Christmas morning, 2015, Ferndale, Arkansas

Today is Christmas. It’s our first official Christma without children in the house, other than the fur child of course. She’s already exhausted, after all the excitement of Santa and opening gifts. She loves opening presents and the mere mention of the words “Santa is coming” is enough to to send her into a frenzy. She loves Santa.

Today, we awoke early but no too early. I always sleep later than he does, with extremely rare exception. I am not an early morning person at all, and I don’t really think I will ever be, although there is something to be said about waking us early enough to to see the sunrise from the ocean or even from the top of a hill. I have done it on rare occasions and will do so again in a couple of weeks when we go on vacation, but for now, it’s not an every day occurrence. 

This morning was good. We both had plenty of gifts to open. I think he liked his. I loved mine. He even made me a ring at the jewelry store, designing it himself to match my other black pearls that I do very much love. There is just something about black pearls that make me smile. 

Moxie got a new bed. Although right now she’s is perfectly content snuggling up with me in the chair, snoring, she eels to really like her new bed. It’s larger than her old one, and it’s up off of the floor, so I think she feels more secure in it. It was pretty inexpensive, but it will work for her perfectly. A new baby and three bags of treats rounded out her haul from Santa this year. Even without kids at home, it’s cool to get to see the excitement on her face when she opens her gifts. 

Now that the gifts have been opened, the surprises over once again for the year, the day moves forward, some of the magic starting to dissipate already. The tree and other decor will stay up for a few more days, as we usually take it down over New Year’s Day while the football games play in the background. The lights will twinkle a bit more, the stockings remaining on the mantle, hoping for more surprises in store, the snowmen with their happy faces of wonder calling out for more excitement and an end to this weird super warm weather of 70 degrees, the nutcrackers standing on their posts at the ready, stoic and honorable. The magic of Christmas will soon be a distant memory for most of us.