Opening, her bedroom door, arms overflowing with packages, Molly headed toward the living room. Carefully placing the packages under the tree, she heard the baby waking up from her nap.
“Got that job done just in time,” Molly grinned and headed toward the baby’s room.
Later that evening, after the kids were all in bed, Molly told Tim about her victory.
“I got all the packages wrapped and put under the tree before the kids found them this year.”
“Really? That’s great,” Tim laughed. “At least you hope Mitch didn’t find them.”
“Well, none of the bags had been moved in their hiding place, so I think we’re good,” Molly laughed in return.
Mitch WAS pretty sneaky.
Last year, he’d found every present. She had caught him sitting on the floor in her closet playing with the toys!
But not this year.
Barely awake the next morning, Molly wandered into the living room to turn the lights on the tree. She loved the magical way the room felt with only the tree lights.
As the lights from the tree filled the room with a soft glow, Molly leaned against the wall to soak it in. She knew she’d have about a half hour to herself before Tim crawled out of bed. Although, once he smelled the coffee it might be sooner.
“What in the world?” Molly exclaimed.
Her neatly placed packages were now in piles.
“That little stinker,” Molly giggled when she examined the piles. The packages were all sorted by name. She noticed the tape torn on the packages in one pile.
Mitch!
From that Christmas forward, Molly tried several tricks to keep Mitch from finding his presents under the tree:
- Putting someone else’s name on Mitch’s presents (that didn’t work very well because she forgot to write down the name code)
- Numbering the packages in random order (only worked when she remembered to write the number sequence down) but then she lost the list
- Don’t put any packages under the tree until Christmas Eve
- Let Mitch clandestinely open his presents and then watch him on Christmas morning realize he missed out on the anticipation
- Create a scavenger hunt for the kids to find their presents (a lot of work but it was fun)
- Wrap gifts for each person in a specific paper for that person and don’t tag the packages
- Get gift cards only and hide them in the depths of the tree
- Put stocking gifts under the tree and put hints in their stockings to find the big gifts
- Put “Santa” on every package and use a different paper for each person so she could know who received what
Eventually Molly realized it wasn’t terrible that Mitch shook his presents or even tried to sneak a look.
Eventually Mitch learned to wait until Christmas.
Eventually this new scheme of Molly’s became a game between the kids and her. A fun, quirky tradition.
What are your most fun Christmas traditions and how did they happen? Tell me about them by leaving a comment below.
Live your legacy today,
Kirsten D. Samuel
Aftershock Recovery Coach
8-week Program, Custom-paced Coaching, Remote, or In-person Sessions
