It’s not like I had any preconceived notions. This Christmas would be the same as the last five. I’d be in a perpetual state of barely containing my raised voice as my kids grew more and more excited each day that passed. My husband doing little more than footing the Christmas bill; a thankless, exhausting Christmas Day as we travel from in-law to in-law, spreading our cheer. And, I have to admit, the cheer got less and less cheerful as the years dragged on. As Christmas Eve approached, I’d had about as much merriment as I could take for one season. After the stockings were hung, the tree trimmed and the halls decked, I sat down to read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to my brood. Barely getting a word in edgewise, I bit my tongue as I labored through the tale. This year was just as I remember: countless questions like “what is a sugar plum?†“Who is Saint Nicholas and where is Santa?†“What are the names of the reindeer again?†After finally tucking in the whirling dervishes, I decided to have myself an egg nog… with extra nog! I woke up some time after six a.m. to the sound of my cat enjoying cookies left out for Santa and lapping up the spilled milk. As I cleaned up the milk, my four children came slowly walking around the corner. “Oh, my gosh!†I thought, “I haven’t put out the rest of the presents!†as my eyes slowly caught the glimpse of presents stacked neatly under the tree. All wrapped perfectly with tidy bows and properly labeled, my children squealed with glee. I look up, attempting to hide my shock, as my husband turned the corner with a knowing grin on his face. It was indeed a Christmas miracle! With every gift I heard a hearty “thank you!†and genuine smiles of approval. No whining about not getting the coolest new gadget, no questions about why Santa hadn’t listened closely enough to their wishes, just honest satisfaction and gratefulness. I smiled, contentedly, as I made breakfast for my appreciative gang. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the in-law rounds, but at least I was starting off in a good mood. When I got to my mother in-laws house she greeted us with a beautiful table already set, delicious scents coming from the kitchen, and a smile from ear to ear. I wasn’t even sure, before today, that the woman had smile muscles. It took me a bit by surprise when she directed me out of the kitchen and my four boys and their father went in and helped finish dinner. It was a bit unsettling, hearing the occasional crash! come from the kitchen, but I sat, as instructed, and enjoyed a nice glass of merlot. Just then, a knock came at the door. I opened the door to see the rest of my in-laws! My mother-in-law’s ex-husband and his family, my husband’s brothers and sisters and their children… was it possible? I only had to make one stop today?? This was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever! As we sat down to eat, my stomach began to churn a bit. Would they all start arguing? Would one of my boys begin throwing food? Did my sons and husband burn/over-salt/undercook the dinner? Well, my fears were soon allayed, as dinner went off without a hitch. The biggest surprise of all came as we were bidding our hostess and the family good-bye. My mother-in-law slipped a pair of diamond earrings into my hand along with a note: “For all you do, thank you from the bottom of my heart.†I nearly began to cry. … I was awoken by the sound of the glass of milk we set out for Santa hitting the floor and shattering to pieces. My curious kitty had attempted to help herself to a treat I looked at my watch, which read 12:47 a.m.; everything snapped into focus. There were no presents under the tree and hours of work ahead. My husband was snoring away in the bedroom as I extracted the gifts from the back of the closet. Soon, my kids would be waking up and as I shook off the wonderful dream I realized, in a few short hours I’d be in for chaos as usual. The next day wasn’t so bad. My kids were yelling and excited, but didn’t complain or fight as much as usual. My mother-in-law did not have a smile nor a pair of earrings for me but we did have a delicious dinner before heading off for the rest of the rounds. As we approached my father-in-laws house, I’ll never forget what happened next. My oldest son took off his ear buds and said, “Mom, thanks for a great Christmas,†to which the rest of my boys replied, “Yeah, mom. Thanks!†I might never have that Rockwellian, stress-free Christmas you see in the movies, but I have my own version: It comes complete with equal parts chaos and love… and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Word count: 849 This story was inspired by real life events. Though I only have two sons, somedays it feels like four. :-) Merry Christmas all!