We're still celebrating. I remember when I was a kid that there was a certain amount of disappointment on the 26th of December. Christmas was over. No more pretty presents sitting under the tree just waiting to be unwrapped. No more trying to guess what they might be. No more comparing the size and quantity to that of my siblings. By the time we opened them up we were suffering from anticipation overload.

My kids are having a different experience. They're not opening up their presents all at once.  Quite the opposite.  First they got presents from mom and dad.  Because we knew they were getting presents from both sets of grandparents, as well as a handful of aunts and uncles, D and I bought each child just one gift.  But we also wrapped up a few trinkets to surprise them with on the long ride in the car.

Then we arrived at my in-laws where the kids were sprinkled with new stuff over the next few days.  Christmas morning they got the "real" gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.  Two days later we had made it to my parents' house and had another gift exchange.  Back in NC, one more staging of Christmas morning awaits with my sisters.  It will be January 8th before my kids have opened all their presents.

This is not to say that they are getting all that much stuff.  Each of these events are pretty small and even the grandparents have mostly kept the giving in check.  It's just spread out over a few weeks instead of a big binge all in one day.  I like that it has worked out this way.  I like that we are celebrating Christmas as a whole season.

I know there are those who would disagree, those who get bent out of shape the second time their radio station plays Jingle Bells (as though the usual pop fare isn't just as repetitive and ten times as insipid), and those who will read this and grumble that I am still talking about Christmas.  That's fine.  You can think I'm nuts if you want to.

I'll still be the last person on my block to turn off the Christmas lights.  I'll be a little sad when there's no longer a wreath on the entrance to every subdivision and a big red bow on every lamppost.  And next October when the stores start pulling out their Christmas displays, I'll be the one in that section pretending that I'm there because the kids want to look.