relativity

We received our Christmas package from my mother-in-law, Dana, yesterday. The girls were giddy with excitement. They couldn't wait to open it. I explained that we could open the box, but the presents would remain wrapped and would go under the tree. Okay fine, mom, here are the scissors, get going.

Being the wise woman she is, Dana put in a Christmas CD as well as a bag of m&m's which sort of placated the girls' desire to rip apart every and all packages. They asked "please please, please can we open one tonight?" and were disappointed when I said no. We are waiting for Christmas to open our presents (not such a novel idea...). Christmas is in just over two weeks, I said. We would be opening them soon enough.

But really. Two weeks to a kid, especially a kid waiting for Christmas, is an eternity. It lasts so long. Even Christmas Eve day drags on at a snails pace. The dinner and Christmas program may pass by fairly fast, but then...it's bedtime. I think every child I know has a love/hate relationship with this night of the year. Christmas is peeking around the corner. You have to get to sleep so Santa can arrive, the only night of the year in which you are trying so diligently to do what your parents ask every single other night, and you just can't quite make it into dream land. This part of Christmas has actually never, ever left me. To this day, I have the hardest time falling asleep on Christmas Eve. It's crazy.

But back to the two weeks...I have a theory. Not one that would blow Einstein out of the water, for all I know it uses his methods in some microscopic way maybe if I'm lucky. Anyway it's this: For a child who has only lived 4 years, as opposed to my 30 or so years, the percentage of life taken up by two weeks is much bigger, so it technically takes longer for them to get to Christmas Day than it takes me. What do you think?

At any rate, I've put the presents under the tree, but sort of behind the tree as well. Kind of an out-of-sight, out-of-mind thing. And hopefully we'll all survive the light years that are these next two weeks until the coming of Christmas Morn!