December 23, 2015 at 6:02 p.m.
Joy of Christmas is the act of giving
Back in the Saddle
Kids, listen up.
Here are the basic rules of Christmas, some of them learned the hard way.
Rule No. 1: Don’t peek. OK, there will be times you have a bit of a clue what you’re going to be getting. Today’s wish lists on the Internet make that even more likely.
But when the presents are under the tree, don’t tug and stretch at the wrapping paper trying to see the label underneath. Worst case scenario: You succeed, and you ruin the surprise.
I still have bad feelings about reading the word “Viewmaster” through several layers of tissue paper that I had stretched until they were semi-transparent. And that was more than half a century ago.
And by all means, don’t do what the kids next door did. They unwrapped their packages about mid-December, played with the toys, put them back in their boxes, re-wrapped the packages and pretended to be surprised on Christmas morning.
I can’t imagine a worse holiday than that.
Rule No. 2: Be patient, especially on Christmas morning.
Sure, you can hear Dad snoring in there, but let him sleep. He’ll be in a much better mood if you let him catch a few more ZZZZ’s.
And if he chooses to brush his teeth — as my dad did — and shave — as my dad did — and putter around in the bathroom — as my dad did —before you’re allowed to run downstairs and check out your stockings, be OK with that.
He’s just playing with you. And chances are, he’s thinking of how his own father dawdled on Christmas mornings when he was a kid.
Rule No. 3: Tear the wrapping paper. By all means, be sure to recycle it. But there’s no need to fold it up for use next year. The wrapping paper industry would collapse if we saved all of this year’s paper for next year, and we don’t want that to happen, do we?
Rule No. 4: Do not comment on any presents given by others, especially presents to your parents by your siblings. Anything you might say will come back to haunt you. Trust me. Your siblings — that’s a fancy word for your brothers and sisters — don’t have any more to spend on Christmas presents for your parents than you do. The last thing they need to hear is snarky criticism from a little/older brother/sister. Give them a break.
Rule No. 5: Pace yourself. Christmas is best enjoyed as a lengthy feast, not as a binge exercise. You’ve waited a year for this; make it last.
Rule No. 6: Pay attention to who gives you what. There’s nothing more embarrassing than thanking the wrong person for the wrong gift.
Rule No. 7: This is the most important one. Be thankful. Say thank you. Say it more than once. Mean it. Think about how amazing it is that somebody cared enough about you to give you something with no expectation of anything in return. And, after all, isn’t that the miracle of the holiday in itself?
Here are the basic rules of Christmas, some of them learned the hard way.
Rule No. 1: Don’t peek. OK, there will be times you have a bit of a clue what you’re going to be getting. Today’s wish lists on the Internet make that even more likely.
But when the presents are under the tree, don’t tug and stretch at the wrapping paper trying to see the label underneath. Worst case scenario: You succeed, and you ruin the surprise.
I still have bad feelings about reading the word “Viewmaster” through several layers of tissue paper that I had stretched until they were semi-transparent. And that was more than half a century ago.
And by all means, don’t do what the kids next door did. They unwrapped their packages about mid-December, played with the toys, put them back in their boxes, re-wrapped the packages and pretended to be surprised on Christmas morning.
I can’t imagine a worse holiday than that.
Rule No. 2: Be patient, especially on Christmas morning.
Sure, you can hear Dad snoring in there, but let him sleep. He’ll be in a much better mood if you let him catch a few more ZZZZ’s.
And if he chooses to brush his teeth — as my dad did — and shave — as my dad did — and putter around in the bathroom — as my dad did —before you’re allowed to run downstairs and check out your stockings, be OK with that.
He’s just playing with you. And chances are, he’s thinking of how his own father dawdled on Christmas mornings when he was a kid.
Rule No. 3: Tear the wrapping paper. By all means, be sure to recycle it. But there’s no need to fold it up for use next year. The wrapping paper industry would collapse if we saved all of this year’s paper for next year, and we don’t want that to happen, do we?
Rule No. 4: Do not comment on any presents given by others, especially presents to your parents by your siblings. Anything you might say will come back to haunt you. Trust me. Your siblings — that’s a fancy word for your brothers and sisters — don’t have any more to spend on Christmas presents for your parents than you do. The last thing they need to hear is snarky criticism from a little/older brother/sister. Give them a break.
Rule No. 5: Pace yourself. Christmas is best enjoyed as a lengthy feast, not as a binge exercise. You’ve waited a year for this; make it last.
Rule No. 6: Pay attention to who gives you what. There’s nothing more embarrassing than thanking the wrong person for the wrong gift.
Rule No. 7: This is the most important one. Be thankful. Say thank you. Say it more than once. Mean it. Think about how amazing it is that somebody cared enough about you to give you something with no expectation of anything in return. And, after all, isn’t that the miracle of the holiday in itself?
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