Dear Lyla, last Christmas I observed that you were slightly overwhelmed by all the gifts on Christmas day, and didn’t quite know how to process it all. It seemed like less was more. I knew I couldn’t minimize Christmas Day (because I’m crazy and so is your Grandma). I decided instead to do 25 days of Christmas where you got to open a little present every day. This way the magic of Christmas, the awe, anticipation and excitement is captured in little snippets every day, without the overwhelmed-ness. It ended up being one of my favorite little traditions, one that I plan to do every year now. I would wrap the gift once you’d gone to sleep and have it waiting somewhere for you each morning. They started out in your pink chair, but once we set up your little Christmas tree in your bedroom, I started putting them in there. It became a little game that you anticipated each morning. You would wake up and say, “where my present go?!” and look until you found it. One day I just put it in your chair even though your tree was up. When you found it there you said “I hide it!” and when and put it under your tree. You’re so funny babe. I felt a tiny bit of Christmas magic every morning when you would open your little present. It wasn’t the item; they all cost under a dollar and some were practical things, it was unwrapping the excitement each morning. The only downside to this tradition is that you didn’t understand when the 25 days were over and there were no more presents. It also made you think that any wrapped item you saw was yours. Oh well, it was worth it. Thanks for letting me experience this kind of magic with you love. Here’s 24 days of Christmas: (stay tuned for the 1st day…Christmas)
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Here’s more photos of the daily opening, and a few pictures of us enjoying the item as well. Lottie even joined in one day. At first I planned to have her do 25 days as well, but after day one, decided she was awfully unimpressed for the cost and effort (you wouldn’t think buying 50 gifts and wrapping 2 gifts a night would be that hard but it was for me! I would forget or want to go right to sleep with Lyla instead of staying up to wrap.), so she will join us next year.
One day I hid the present under her tree and then waited in her bedroom for her to come find it. I love the below pictures because they capture the progression of the experience each morning. Oh so much joy!!!
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