The children are 9, 12, and 20. The younger two are still just as excited about Christmas morning as ever, but wait patiently for mom and dad to wake up. Then they gently wake up the 20-year-old with a cup of coffee, and he gladly complies even though it is three hours before his typical winter break wake-up time.
We gather around the tree in the living room and the kids dutifully distribute a couple of gifts per person and then wait patiently as we go around, each person unwrapping one gift at a time, taking their time to admire and express gratitude. The cats start playing in the pile of crinkled wrapping paper under the coffee table. Repeat until all the gifts are opened. The energy is delightful and tuned to perfection.
