christmas eve love

here we are, christmas eve, and all of the presents are finally under the tree. the baby is fed and happily dozing in his swing and e and i are sitting cozily by the lights of our christmas tree. tomorrow is a day i have anticipated since i found out that i would be expecting a little one in time for it. though our little wren will not remember this day in 2010, it will forever be ingrained in my memory as one of the greats. sharing this day (because the magic of this holiday is always alive for me) with our son is something so wonderful it has me bursting with love. we may not have been able to buy much for gifts, but what we have in family and love is so much greater than the paper dollar could buy.
i have a few cozy cute outfits set aside to try on baby tomorrow, as i cannot decide which to put him in, and i am counting the hours before we are together with family to share in this joy. we will be able to sleep in a bit in the morning before having to leave first to travel to dedham to my grandparents' and the traditional 'coleman family christmas.' my mom's side (my mom has five siblings) will have both rooms of my grandparents' packed full with all 30+ of us. the tree is usually packed so full that half of the living room is gifts, while people are piled on the furniture, stairs, and children on the floor. my grammy will take her post in the center of the room in front of the gift pile and begin to call out and pass out, or sometimes throw out, gifts. it's loud and chaotic and wonderfully common practice. i am glad that c will be a part of this and next year will be old enough to partake in and enjoy it. after that it's up the hill toward the mountain to my parents' house for gifts around their tree. my mom and dad instilled the spirit of this holiday in me and my brother and every year my mom comes alive with infectious cheer and excitement. i always feel that my parents do too much, but stopping them from buying gifts would really only put a damper on their mood, i think. i can't imagine my mom or my dad wanting to cut back because, as much as my brother and i love the thoughtfulness in every gift we receive, my parents (mom especially) are always excited to give the gifts and see them opened and loved. this year they had a grandson to buy for, and i know it only amplified the spirit and joy of gift giving for them. their generosity never goes unnoticed and i always try to put equal thought into all of my gifts as well. tradition would have it that we do not do gift cards or money, but buy each recipient something that we took great care in picking out or making specially for them. after the gifts are exchanged and opened, gushed over and enjoyed, my nana and grampy jim will arrive to do their gifts with us as well. taking turns and telling stories, we'll sit once more around the tree while christmas music lulls in the antique radio in my parents' living room, perhaps it will be cold enough to light a fire in the cast iron wood stove. after gifts are once again exchanged, opened, and loved, we will be expecting e's parents to arrive in time for dinner. this is something new and lovely to share in. my parents will have been preparing a prime rib all day and my mom will be ready to pull it from the over upon their arrival. a simple but tasty feast with loving family, full of warmth and laughter. what more could we want out of this day?
once we are home and drowsily making our way to bed, i know we will be filled with love, joy, and thanks for the wonderful people in our lives and the newest addition to our family.