A Simple Thank You Would Suffice

Last night kicked off our Christmas celebrations. We gathered at my husband's aunt's home for a pre-Christmas dinner and a gift exchange. We were excited to watch Big Sister experience Christmas this year. It is the first Christmas where she is beginning to understand both the reason for Christmas and the fact that presents will soon be coming her way.

This understanding led to a little girl who ate very little of the delicious meal set before her. She influenced her brother to do the same. After all, who could eat when there were packages?

After what I'm sure was an excruciatingly long wait for Big Sister, we began to open packages. I was amazed to see Big Sister more interested in distributing other's presents than in opening her own. I was happy to see that she wasn't only excited to see what she got.

Of course, eventually she began to open her presents. At one point she opened a play set of kitchen utensils complete with a wooden spoon. Now, let me just note that the wooden spoons of my childhood home had two uses. One was for cooking and the other was for discipline that was not a time-out. So, if history repeats itself, one can imagine what the wooden spoon is used for around here, at least from time to time.

So, it should not have surprised me that Big Sister grabbed the wooden spoon, held it up, and asked, "is this a spanking spoon?" Clearly, we'll have to work on simply saying thank you after receiving a gift. I'm telling you, it is only a matter of time before that girl says something that has me looking for a hole to swallow me all while I'm laughing hysterically.