Christmas Roundup.

How did you celebrate this year? Did you get all the gifts that you wanted?  I hope Santa was good to you.  But, no matter how good your Christmas was, I doubt very seriously that it was as good a haul as my Matthew got this year.  In the last few years, as a family, we have downscaled the gift giving, in 2013 we tried the ‘something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something they need’.  It certainly calms things down.

This year, that is not exactly what happened.  Well, we tried anyway.  The Monday after the party, while Paul was at work, (pay attention to that, it is important) Kat, Matthew and I went and did our Christmas shopping, getting most of the gifts we had planned on getting.  We had the traditional pajamas, new pants the boys can wear to school, underwear, books, and let Matthew choose games for the Xbox for Paul and him.  I thought we had it covered, and really felt good that there would not be that last minute Christmas eve shopping that I am kind of known for.

Tuesday night we went to see the Nutcracker, but if you are playing along at home, you know that.  Wednesday night my co-workers and I worked late, in anticipation of being off work for several days.

Thursday was Christmas Eve, and everyone was off work.  Kat got up early and she and Paul left to run a few errands.  I figured she needed to grab the usual pan dulce for Christmas morning, and some supplies for our Christmas eve enchiladas, and I know Paul wanted to do some Christmas shopping for his brother. I was half right.

Paul did his Christmas shopping at Sam’s, FYE, Half Price Books, and Dollar Tree. He spent what amounts to an exorbitant amount on gifts.  The best part of his having a job is how generous it allowed him to be.  And he was generous in the extreme.  When Kat and Paul made it home, with barely enough time to get it together to make it to church on time, the SUV was loaded down with gifts.  Think Santa’s sleigh. In fact, when Kat and Paul got home and were unloading the gifts, one of them was so large it was impossible to hide.

Matthew had asked for a refrigerator, like a dorm sized one for his room.  Kat and I had reservations because I was pretty sure that meant we would never see Matthew unless he needed laundry.  Paul had no such reservations and not only did he gift Matthew with the deluxe model dorm refrigerator, he stocked it with Matthew’s favorite energy drinks and Dr. Pepper.  These gifts Matthew received before we left for church.  If that had been all Paul gave him, Matthew would have been over the moon.

After we got home from Christmas eve dinner with the Grandparents, Paul shut himself away in his bedroom and wrapped presents, for over an hour.  I am pretty sure he loved wrapping all those gifts. 

Christmas morning Matthew opened two different styles of headphones, and a wireless speaker that has a lightening ball on top, books, and a game for the Xbox. Last minute Paul changed his mind and gave me the $25 gift card for half price book that he had purchased for Matthew.  Kathleen got a screw driver with exchangeable heads.

Paul had to work Christmas night, and as soon as he went to work, Matthew started in on his Christmas surprise, something he had planned out before he knew Paul was showering him in gifts.  First, Matthew cleaned Paul’s room. He did an excellent job (the benefits of a slight touch of OCD). Then he carefully gift wrapped all the furniture in Paul’s room; the bed, the dresser, the TV, the Xbox, the pillows, the Xbox controller and the club chair.  It looked amazing.  I wasn’t sure how Paul was going to react when he got home, I was concerned that if he had a rough night he would not be appreciative of what Matthew had done.  I tried to prepare Matthew but he assured me it would be no big deal, that if Paul wanted he could sleep in Matthew’s bed and that he, Matthew, could sleep on the couch.

I shouldn’t have doubted, Paul was pleasantly surprised, but he was happy when he got home, he couldn’t stop smiling and giggling.  He swore he was never going to unwrap anything.  I persuaded him to at least unwrap the bed and the pillows to start with.  Currently only the dresser and the club chair are still wrapped, but he is holding out as long as he can.

The best gift I received that day was seeing how generous and loving my boys are with each other.  Proud Papa here.