We start to open the gifts and Amanda (2.5) is entirely uninterested. Her focus is on one of her existing toys. I try to pull her over to unwrap a gift, she runs back to the small table to play. Sabrina gets Yang, Aidan, and Lydia on a video call from Toronto and we proceed.
Christmas felt low key to me this year, I certainly had the time to prep but still waited until the last minute. Sabrina picked up the slack with the gift purchases. Nothing fancy, just small fun gifts. A Miniso Christmas. Maybe it’s a cultural thing or maybe it’s the specific people around me, but the gift giving really resonates. Yang and now Sabrina always made Christmas special for our kids which made it special for me.
I hand out the gifts and we watched each one be opened. Elisa is appreciative even though she didn’t get a big gift this year. Grandma is surprised when her name is called. Ayi smiles and puts her gift to the side. Aidan and Lydia send me text messages thanking me for the gifts I sent them. Lydia drew a family portrait as her gift.
After a few minutes we try Amanda again. She tears at the wrapping. I help. Then she notices a toy inside and she’s hooked. Gift opening unlocked. We got Amanda one big toy, a paw patrol car set and she plays with it for hours. She’s playing with it now as I type this and paw patrol plays on the TV in the background.
I made my mom’s lasagna. Actually, that’s not true. I made classic lasagna from a recipe I got from deep seek. I made devil eggs. Chips and dip. The salami and cheese. Washed it down with a little cheese cake.
This time next year, Elisa will be off to college. I feel tired. Must be the carbs. Or the age.