Christmas Eve has finally arrived. It’s cold, and there were a few flurries when I went outside to get the papers. It seems Mother Nature is catching up with the season. The day is bleak looking, but that doesn’t matter. Christmas Eve brings its own brightness, its own joy. It doesn’t need the sun. It has the Christmas tree bright with lights and candles in the window. Today Gracie and I have a dump run, and I need a few things at the grocery store. My friends are coming over tonight, and we’re going to put together and decorate our gingerbread houses. We’ll snack on hors d’oeuvres, and I’ve got egg nog.

This special night seemed so long before we felt the least bit sleepy. Every other night of the year we fought to stay out of bed, to stay up longer, but on this night, we wanted to be sleepy as soon as it got dark. We never were. The night crawled along until my mother decided it was time for us to go to bed. I think we might have cheered. The last thing we did was hang our stockings. They were hung on the bannister in birth order. Mine was at the top, and my sister Moe’s was at the bottom. The stocking were red with a white cuff, and our names were written in glitter on the cuffs. The stocking weren’t very big, but they seemed to hold gift after gift, and they were always stuffed, filled to the very top.

When we got to bed, we talked between bedrooms for a while wondering what Santa might bring. My little sisters fell asleep first while my brother and I lingered a bit longer. I never remember being tired but somehow I always gave in to sleep. Morning seemed to come in a heartbeat. I’d wake up and it would take a few seconds before I’d remember it was Christmas morning and Santa must have come.

My first look at the living room was over the space in the bannister. The tree, always lit on Christmas morning, was surrounded with gifts. Some presents from my parents and grandparents were wrapped but Santa’s were never wrapped. They were sitting under the tree just waiting for us. We were overwhelmed, and it usually took a while to see all our presents. We’d show my mother and father who acted surprised and thrilled at what Santa had given us. On the bannister the stockings were bulging, and we’d each grab our own and sit on the floor to empty them one gift at a time. I don’t remember ever eating breakfast, but I do remember eating a candy cane or two. The usual rules just didn’t apply at Christmas. It was too magical a morning for toast and cereal.

The sun is starting to come out and the day is brightening. It’s only 31°, but that sounds about right for Christmas Eve.