Lynn's Notes:

It was all I could do to stay in bed on Christmas morning. By 5 am, I'd be up and peeking around the hall corner at the gifts under tree. If my brother was awake, we'd stand there hand in hand in the living room, shivering more from excitement than the cold. We were allowed to open our stockings and nothing else. The waiting was awful and wonderful at the same time. I wondered how my folks could stay in bed on such an important morning. Christmas had taken such a long time to come, and now we were made to wait even longer.

I made the same arrangement with Kate and Aaron. Stockings only until we were up and the coffee was made. I remember them pushing our bedroom door open to see if we were stirring. It was all they could do to let us sleep until 7. We didn't appreciate it at the time, but I now miss those busy, crazy sleep deprived Christmas mornings!