Our Christmas preparations are still underway, but the most important stuff is done. This year I really had to prioritize what was important to me, and our family, in order to get things done.
We're all getting excited! Every morning Josie looks at the tree and says "MiMi?", which is her word for presents. Every day I tell her, "Soon, but not yet! Santa hasn't come yet!" I had a good conversation with her about stockings, and I think quite a bit of it was absorbed by her. Yay!
I'm approaching Christmas with a little bit of nervousness and trepidation however. It is hard not to have expectations when it comes to Christmas morning. Every parent wants the wide eyed look of surprise, the unwrapping of gifts and the unloading of stockings, the mess of wrapping paper, and the happy smiles. Every parent wants a tantrum free, happy, merry morning. Will this happen? Eek!
Somehow, this morning I awoke with a new appreciation for Christmas morning with autism. I fully expect that Josie will probably be more interested in her Cheerios then her presents when she comes down. I accept that Christmas morning may well be more of an all day event, with her unwrapping things here and there. Maybe she won't even want to unwrap anything! That's okay. She may well get hung up on a new toy for hours, and have no interest in the rest of the gifts. Or, she may be so excited that she rips them all open right away!
Kevin and I both agree that Christmas morning should be about the kids. We are going to let Josie go about it however she chooses, so that she is happy. If Josie and Sofia are happy, Mommy and Daddy are happy. We are not going to try to force tradition on them, and end up with tantrums and tears on what should be a merry and happy day. We will celebrate our Christmas in a way that makes our family smile.
We will enjoy our Christmas! And we hope you enjoy yours too!
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