Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Thoughts on the Morning of Christmas Eve

It's the morning before and all through the house,
There is laundry hanging off every available radiator,
A mountain range of dishes in the sink,
Hyper children fighting over the TV,
Frenzied dogs wrecking what's left of the garden,
A grumpy plump mother growing rounder and rounder with each Christmas cookie,
And a father who dreams of a long night's sleep, undisturbed and peaceful.

Hubster pointed out to me last night as I sat whimpering and crying over a story on the news about dog sledding in the Alps, that I traded all that for all this.

"You chose children," he said.

I swallowed hard and cried inside to myself, 'why do they have to be mutually exclusive?!?'

The only answer I'm coming up with is opposable thumbs. If only Anouk could do some dishes, Typhon hang out the underwear rather than eating it, and Abaka jump and spin only on the terrace...Wake up, Dig. Smell the decaf. Remember what you know to be true: life is chaos. Fun, fabulous, unexpected chaos.

Sure, a jaunt through the mountains with a swiftly moving dog team is exhilarating, but it's got nothing on a Christmas morning surrounded by children who still believe.

Now go wrap those gifts hidden around the house and get ready for one of the most insane 24 hours on the planet. The magic is coming and it doesn't care how clean the house is.

6 comments:

Stephanie said...

Amen! I am glad that Santa doen't care about a dust-free environemnt. If he did, we'd never get any presents! And you've got to remember that Jesus was born in a stable. How clean was that? Hey, these sound like good arguments for putting off the cleaning for a little longer. :)

Kelly said...

Enjoy the magic! That's the best part of this season with little ones around. And Whoopsie doesn't even know what's in store for her yet! XOXOXO

Diane said...

I am guessing you aren't serving any christmas meals to anyone but the clarks? I would love to let the slime go, and take my one dog for a walk. But with the portion of the family here in the States coming for dinner, I have to keep up the illusion of cleanliness. Just hope they don't open any cabinets.

Dig said...

Hey Diane, that family loves you regardless of how clean your house is. And, for what it's worth, I'm serving roasted goose for 10 people tomorrow! AGHAGHAAAA!!!!

Sue said...

No one will be looking in cabinets at Di's, just at the fabulous food! I am psyched!

Diane said...

The goose and the roasted potatoes sound devine. I did take that dog for a walk yesterday. With my husband and numbers 3&4. A good way to spend Christmas eve, before the feast!!!