While my mom, dad, niece, nephew, and I were riding over the river and through the woods to my brother’s house on Christmas Eve, my mom announced over the din of “Here Comes Santa Claus” spouting from the car radio, “Madelyn and Michael, I should warn you, your big Christmas gift from Grandpa and me this year is going to be practical.” I had to chime in and add, “Come to think of it, my gifts for the two of you are sort of practical too.”
With puzzled expressions, they asked, “Grandma, what exactly does practical mean?” Chuckling, my mom explained, “Practical means useful. These gifts are something that you will use.” Without missing a beat, Michael said to me, “You know, I would like another book like the one you made for me last Christmas. You know, the one with all of the pictures of just me?” Last year I compiled hundreds of pictures that I took of Michael and made him the star of his own book, The Many Faces of Michael Morgan 2010. I did the same for Madelyn. The one hundred plus page books were a huge hit, and I was thrilled they both remembered and wanted new ones, especially since they would be opening the 2011 versions in less than two hours. “Is a book practical?” I asked, and Madelyn quickly replied, “Sure, especially if it helps you remember things.”
Michael and Madelyn, my mom and dad, and brother and sister-in-law and I spent Christmas Eve creating new memories. With wrapping paper everywhere, squeals of delight filling the air, new practical desks finishing Michael and Madelyn’s freshly painted and redecorated rooms, a happy dog with an enormous new bone, Santa’s trip tracked on NORAD as he visited Portugal and started making his way across the Atlantic, the Giants’ victory over the Jets, delicious Chinese food, the semi-creepy Elf on the Shelf, and lots of new pictures snapped to capture the moments, the Morgans felt joyous as the kids were filled with Christmas spirit.
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A very Hopatcong Christmas?