The perfect Christmas morning

    

You wake up at 6 because you’re so excited. You tell yourself, “go back to sleep, nobody’s up yet,” but you can’t relax, so you lie in bed for the next hour and a half, going in and out of sleep. At 7:30 exactly, your 11-year-old little brother slowly opens the door to your room and peeks in to see if you’re awake. You make eye contact and smile. Though you and your brother are 3 years apart, you both love Christmas and have been waiting for it all year. You leap out of bed and run to your parent's room to see if they’re up yet. When you push open the door, your two fluffy, black dogs run to greet you, their butts wiggling. They know something exciting is about to happen as well. Or...they’re just hungry. 

You hear a creaking noise behind you and you look to see your grandparents come out of the guest room. You notice the bright Christmas pj bottoms they have on.

 “Merry Christmas!” they say. Yes! Everyone’s up! Your parents and grandparents go downstairs to get coffee, while you sit with your brother on the top of the stairs.You and your brother can barely sit still. 

“I hope I get that BB gun,” he says. You roll your eyes and smile, trying to get a glimpse into the living room. But you already know what's in it. When you're called downstairs, you run into the living room and find your spot on the comfy, worn out couch.You sink right into it and wait for the others to be ready. Leaning above you is the gigantic tree with shiny bulbs, bright lights, and mostly ornaments you made when you were little. But on top is the big star that your dad had to push up to the top of the tree with a ski pole while standing on top of a ladder. 

Finally, your eyes settle on the prettiest thing in the room, right under the tree. Layers of presents. The bottom layer is from family and friends that family members put under the tree to be opened today. The middle layer is the gifts between your parents, grandparents, and you and your brother. And the top layer came straight from the North Pole. Your family takes turns giving and receiving presents until there’s no more to satisfyingly tear the wrapping paper off of. While the fire crackles and soft Christmas music plays from the kitchen, you drink the last sip of hot cocoa in your mug. The perfect Christmas morning.