Christmas morning. It was always something excting and special when I was growing up. There would be a grand Christmas tree set up in the corner, sparkling with the many cheerful lights, music playing softly in the background, and the smell of fresh holiday baking floating in the air. As kids, we would always sleep underneath the dinning room table on that night before Christmas. Well, sleep may not be the right term, we were usually much too excited to close our eyes. In the morning at 7:30 sharp, we would rouse my parents out of bed and gather around the tree. The exchanging of gifts, hugs, laughter, and joy first thing in the morning has a way of exciting a person in a way that few other things can.
And now, as I lay here in bed waiting for my children to come bursting through the bedroom door, I remember all the joyful Christmas mornings that I had with my family as a little girl. But this year my husband won't be with us. He is overseas and my kids and I will miss seeing his smiling face as he eagerly tears open his gifts. We will leave his gift under the tree for him to open whenever he comes home but for now, for now my family will have a cheerful Christmas morning.