Today was my Christmas. My mother and oldest sister thankfully waited to celebrate my Christmas and exchange gifts until my sons came home. This was the year the boys got to spend Christmas with their father. It sounds like they had a great time with him and spent time with his very large family. Both boys are fully enamored by their smallest cousin, Madeline. They got a Christmas Redux today.
We have quieted down for the night, the piles of wrapping paper cleaned up, the dinner dishes finished and I am listening to Evan slowly unpack another one of his toys. He has assembled two Bionicles and is now working on his Transformers. Simply getting them out of their wired and shrink wrapped package is a feat. He has the patience of a saint. Cameron got an Xbox 360 Elite but we had to make – not one – but TWO trips to Target. The first was to exchange the Call of Duty for Call of Duty 2. We also bought a wireless network adapter so the Xbox can go LIVE. After 4 intelligent people (2 adults and 2 teens) have conniptions regarding the defunct adapter, we called the Xbox 24-hour-7 day-a-week support center. We determined that the adapter was defective. So….Cam and I head back to Target for an exchange. The package for the original adapter looked like a pit bull terrier had shredded it. Target honored the exchange. Woot!!!
I got some lovely things, although nothing major. The very best gift – the one I am most grateful for – is to have the boys back. Just having them in my proximity exceeds all explanation. The space left by their absence is a null space that cannot be filled or occupied. It stands vacant, silent and palpable until they return. I feel as if I can’t take a full deep breath when they are away from me. I hear myself talk and listen to my thoughts and it sounds like an orchestra without strings. I think of Sid the Sloth when he says, “She completes you.” My kids complete me.
It sounds odd, because I feel complete as a solitary person. I am whole and balanced, but my young children add a harmony to my life. I love that harmony. I adore them. The sound of them in my space….our space. The clutter. The inquiries. The dilemmas. The arguments. The snuggling. The inside jokes. The silliness. Just the smell of them. I am in pure heaven. This is a wonderful Christmas. This is a wonderful life.