The Chaos.  The Emotion.  The Shopping.  Why do we subject ourselves to this?  I am convinced that every couple has their pre-Christmas fight.  Come on, admit it... you had yours.  

BUT...  Then somehow, in the eternal words of Austin Collie, "Magic Happens."  It all comes together.

  

Everything went well for us this Christmas for the most part.  Our pulses did rise a couple of times, however.  Like when Isaac told us that he had secretly told Santa that he wanted a "Green Lantern" action figure on Christmas Eve and  he was so excited to get it.  Or when Alex delivered one of our secret twelve days of Christmas gifts which was homemade rolls and jam, only to find out that Alex had dropped the glass jam jar, watched it shatter, carefully tried to reassemble the glass fragments, and then faithfully delivered the shard-infested jam.  "Don't worry," he said, "I got all the glass out."  

Thank goodness he got ALL the glass out.  Enjoy the jam!

But that was about it.  I was able to enjoy the fruits of my wife's shopping labors and watch the kids frolic in the present mayhem.

And when Isaac gleefully proclaimed, "This is the best day of my whole life!"  Well, things were pretty good.  I guess that is why we do it...

Matt