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the big day Awake before dawn and out the door with the sun rising at my back on Christmas morning. Once again I was on my way to my parents' house with today being the day when we open our presents. The roads were almost completely mine and I was amazed at the beauty of the countryside as I drove further and further out of the city. People might be complaining about our record snowfall so far this season, but I loved all of it. Everywhere it was seamless and white with the sun illuminating all of it. In southern California they like to say that if they want to see snow then all that they have to do is go into the mountains, but it isn't the same thing. In the mountains the snow is so removed from their everyday reality, while here there is no escaping it. A person has to live and breathe it. It isn't a momentary distraction or special effect intended to make one gasp. ... When I walked through the door my sister and her daughter were the only ones awake. A four year old is not about to wait on Christmas morning to open her presents. I was quickly told by my niece that Santa had not only taken a bite out of the cookie that she had left for him, but he had also left her a note thanking her for it. I can't begin to describe the energy and excitement of a four year old on Christmas morning. Soon the rest of my family made their way down the stairs into the livingroom and the opening of the gifts was in full gear. ... Generally speaking most of us know what we are getting for gifts from each other and I don't really mind either. It's been that way for years and it works for us. Watching my niece get all excited more than compensates for the lack of surprise on the part of my siblings and I. Other families that I know go to extreme lengths to make sure that that they get that one extra special secret gift for someone, but for years now we have been providing lists to eliminate any mistakes or hurt feelings. It might not as romantic or magical in some peoples eyes, but it certainly works for us. To further shock those kinds of people, I should mention that I give the gift that very few people seem to refuse. I give money to my siblings and they don't seem to mind either. Naturally this isn't something that I would do for a girlfriend or wife, but that wasn't an issue this year. ... My sister Hope did get one rather unique gift for our niece. It's called a Hoberman sphere and I was really impressed by it. Maybe even more so than my niece. ... We the aid of a welder's mask that belonged to my dad, the family took turns watching the partial solar eclipse. It was an odd new dimnesion to the day that won't happen again for years and years.
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