Children and Christmas

I've already discussed my family tradition that has been going strong for over 30 years, but I'd like to add a "younger" tradition that has been added to my family. My children have made their own tradition to carry on, which I think is just absolutely precious! I think that traditions are important, and apparently, I've passed that on to my kids and didn't even know it, priceless!
I'm not sure how many years this has gone on, like all good things, it started small and grew to what it is today, but it has been a good number of years. I believe it started with just some television viewing and giggling, to keep themselves from exploding from the excitement of the following morning. Another joy my children have taken from me, we love Christmas!!! It's not the getting, it's the giving. We love to see faces light up as someone opens a gift that was chosen specially for them. It is just so exciting to watch everyone open presents and being so happy and excited. One of my kids, I won't mention which one, literally shakes from the excitement! Christmas morning is just so precious!
The weeks before Christmas are filled with such excitement, as well. All the kids have either saved money, worked for money, or just wanting to "borrow" money because they just can't wait to buy gifts for all of their family. Of course, being such a big family, we don't have much money, so we're not talking extravagant gifts, we usually go to the Dollar Store or Big Lots, because it doesn't really matter the amount, its the idea. We always talk about why we give gifts, how the whole reason of Christmas is because God gave us the best gift of all, Jesus Christ! We give, in remembrance of what He has given us.
Christmas is the whole month of December for my family. The togetherness and the thoughtfulness are precious. However, Christmas Eve means the day is almost here! The kids can no longer take the excitement! So they developed a way to help them. That is where their new tradition starts.
They send themselves to bed early. (What parent can complain about that?) But, of course, they are not "really" going to bed. They all meet in one bedroom, and play games that they have been preparing just for this occasion. The bedroom is, of course, decorated for Christmas. This room has become a Christmas party room just as good as any professional could do; colorful lights, cut out snowflakes all around, and of course, a Christmas tree with gifts underneath. The gifts are for a gift exchange that will come a little later in the evening. After the games and the giggling. Any other night of the year, they are not allowed to take food or drinks in their bedrooms, but for this night, some snacks and water bottles are approved. The children are having so much fun that they almost forget that at any minute, Santa could be leaving gifts for them under our family tree. Almost.
When I go to bed on Christmas Eve, I can hear sweet little "hushes" and giggles in the room. The children pretending to be asleep, because, "mom doesn't know any better". I let them keep their deception. I thought I was getting away with everything when I was a kid, too. I try to get a few hours sleep because I know that at any minute they will be waking me up screaming, "Come on mom, we've waited long enough!!" Christmas morning has arrived!

This I Believe

An assignment in my class last week was to write an essay following This I Believe guidelines. I had never heard of it before, but This I Believe is a website (and books, and radio spots) that have people write essays about things that they believe. Apparently it started in the 50's where famous people would read their essays on the radio each week. Pretty cool!
I did my essay as a tribute to my brother, who died 8 years ago. Anyone who knows me knows that I was very close to him and have been devastated since his passing. It was a joy and an honor to write this for him. My professor liked it and suggested that I submit it to the This I Believe website, I just finished doing that. I cant wait to find out if they accept me or not. I'm soooo excited!!!
I decided to share the essay here, as well. So here is my essay, I hope you enjoy! And please feel free to comment, I would love to hear what you think!!

Boys are trouble.  They are mean and yucky.  But when you share the same parents they also become something special and wonderful.  You develop a bond that will never be understood by anyone who doesn’t share in it, a love that no one else can comprehend.  Sibling relationships are a precious gift of God, and no matter how much they may annoy you at times, one day their importance will become very clear.

My brother, Robb, was five years older than me, and much cooler than I was.  He was popular, outgoing and athletic; he seemed to have it all.  But of all the things that took his attention, he loved me the most.  I was just a baby compared to him, painfully shy and friendless. I thought very low of myself, but he thought the world of me and I could do no wrong in his eyes. 

I didn’t always make things easy for Robb.  I would brutally pick on him at times.  I would do things just to get him fired up, just to be a little troublemaker.  But he took it like it was just his job as my brother.  Through it all, I knew that no matter what I needed, all I had to do was call on him and he would be there, and there were many times that I did.  Whether it was to borrow money, or go talk to a boy that had been mean to me, he stood beside me.

As we grew older, we just grew closer and closer.  Robb was at my house so much that he basically lived with me for many years. I would get frustrated at times, but deep down in my heart; I just loved having him around.  We would play video games and stay up all night long talking. We shared a love for the same kind of music and had such fun listening to it together. Of course, we always had to have pizza and chips around, or run to whatever burger joint he might be craving at the moment.  He also loved being an uncle and spending time with my children.  He would always say that they, especially my oldest daughter, reminded him of me when I was younger.  

Robb was human and made his mistakes. I got mad at him more times than I could count.  But I knew he loved me; I just never realized how much I loved him until one day when it was too late.  One horrible Thursday in August, a day I will never forget, he died too young, just shy of his thirty-fifth birthday.  He’s been gone eight years now, and my life will never be the same.

Although I live a very full life, with many precious people in it, there will always be a hole in my heart.  It will never be whole again, because it was meant for just him.   I have many close relationships: my husband, my parents, my children, and, I adore them all. But they cannot be my brother.  I didn’t realize just how much he meant to me until he was gone, and now it’s too late.  All that I can do is to teach my children to appreciate their own siblings, to help them see how precious they really are to each other.  They may not see it now, but they really do love each other more than they themselves are able to understand.  I would give the world to have five more minutes with Robb.  I would absolutely love to give him a few more hugs and tell him how much I love him and how much he means to me.  Nothing is quite like that bond shared by siblings. I know from experience, a bond between siblings is so very precious.  This, I believe.