The Joy of Christmas

One of the days that I went shopping, I took Finley along with me, hoping that she could help me pick out some of the gifts we were giving that year. Of course, at the ripe old age of four, she didn't understand the concepts of budgeting or appropriateness, so I found myself saying repeatedly: 'That costs too much,' or '[So-and-so] wouldn't really want a [random item, like a curtain rod], Sweetie.'

She finally picked out a few items that were do-able. For Chris she found a little frog on a key chain that said 'ribbit' and shone an LED when you pressed a button. Of course, when we got home, she immediately tried to tell Chris what she got him, but I managed to quiet her in time. I let her wrap it, and made sure to let Chris know, lest he throw out what looked like a small wad of wrapping paper.

A few days later, when I wasn't around, she let the cat out of the bag. Apparently, she didn't realize she had ruined a surprise, as was evident Christmas morning.

This was (by far) my favorite moment of the holiday: Finley handing Chris his wad of a present, jumping up and down and laughing with the excitement of giving...