In Bed by 10:30 on Christmas Eve

     As a child we went to my aunt's house in Long Island.  It was a drive from the Bronx.  We stayed for a feast fit for royalty, a celebration of family and a trip together to midnight Mass.  Needless to say, it was very late when we got home.  This went on until I was 17.  Then Christmas Eve's turned into days with family, parties and family visits all after working retail until the mall closed down.  This went through the college days.  Then you have children.  After running around on the eve you then have wrapping and assembling.  I believe the record was 5am one year when too many big things needed to be put together.  There was even that year we decided that the midnight Mass was a good idea with a small child.  Nope, that never happened again.  A decade or so ago my cousin and I decided we needed to bring back the tradition of a cousin night.  We would take the kids to New Jersey  where Santa would deliver cookies to them and we would watch the Norad Santa Tracker together.  As we watched our children play it was a feeling of days gone by.  Meals were complicated some years and take-out some others but we weren't there for the food...we were there for the company.  After a night we didn't want to end and a drive home...we would arrive on the late side yet again.  The last few years brought a new batch of reasons to stay up late.
     Dinner was early tonight and quick and simple.  Church is out of the way.  I searched for the tubas of Christmas only to find out they happened weeks ago.  To salvage a bit of Christmas magic I did a drive through the neighborhood for some light viewing.  But with sleepy kids and a tired Dad and no Mom to bug me about the wrapping...it is quiet.  Years of too many presents to fit under the tree have been replaced with a year of only a few gifts each.  This means it is quick and simple to finish up the wrapping.  So here I am with several new things that fell through for the day when it hit me...just put on those pj's and crawl into bed.  Lights are out.  Children are tucked.  Cookies are set out for Santa.  Carrots and reindeer food have been placed outside.  Presents are placed under the tree.  Spirits are weary and bodies are tired so I will go to bed.  Hey, who knows...maybe just maybe if I'm sleeping when Santa gets here even I'LL get a little something special.