Reflecting on First Holiday as a Parent

My wife and I celebrated our first Christmas as a Mom and Dad. Wow. Several days on, this is only now sinking in because the focus had been on this being our little boy's first Christmas. It's the flip-side of the same lucky coin, for sure, but a different side still. When I was thinking about it as my son's first Christmas, the focus was on all my childhood Christmas mornings; running down the stairs to see what Santa had left, digging through my stocking for the chocolate treats, playfully tossing wrapping paper across the room. It's pure, unadulterated nostalgia.

But when I think about it from the perspective of this having been my first Christmas as a parent, that unadulterated nostalgia gives way to pure appreciation. Appreciation for everything my parents did to give me those warm and fuzzy holiday memories. Late nights followed by children up at a wholly unreasonable hour ("Go back to bed, the presents will still be there in a couple of hours"), making sure no assembly was required, and all in an era when instant coffee was hardly potable. So Mom and Dad-- or should I say Nana and Papa-- as we head toward the New Year, thank you so much for all the holiday memories. I love you guys. And you know I always liked the gifts I got from you better than what I got from Santa, right? The Big Guy has nothing on you.