Christmas morning with my boys - Santee - TravBuddy

Ok this is not really travel related, but I still wanted to write about it. My boys are 11 and (almost) 13. They are at the in between age for Christmas morning. They still have the wonder and excitement that comes with opening unknown packages. It is so much fun to watch their faces as the rip (picture a Tazmanian Devil type display of feverish activity) off all the wrapping paper. And, screams of delight, as with each gift they yell out, "It is just what I wanted"!

This year was even more fun. Since they are getting older it has become increasingly harder to pull off one of my favorite tricks...buy a present with them standing right there beside me.  They know I do it, and have yet to catch me. This year I took it one step further. Each of the boys asked if they could wrap the other's presents. I know that having to keep a secret for an extended period of time was too much to ask, so I had them wrap presents Saturday night. I gave my youngest son a box and told him it was for a friend at work. In reality it was the #1 gift. The one thing he really wanted. Well he wrapped the gift with out looking in the box. Then he stuck a To/From sticker on it and asked me who it was for. You should have seen his face when I said, "To Bobby, From Dad"! :)

Well, I told the boys that they could come in and wake me up at 06:30. They came in at 06:29. Our living room was quickly turned into what looked like a war zone at the North Pole, bits of wrapping paper all over. I was given the appropriate hugs for being the "Best Dad Ever" and the little monsters proceded to open every single thing to play with. The best received gift (so far) has been a Nerf tag type game. These little guns shoot out little nerf (soft foam) darts at about a gazillion miles an hour. I have been ambushed a couple of times this morning (when do the monsters go to their mother's for the second half of their vacation?).

I hope all of my new Travel Buddy friends have a wonderful Christmas, and a great New Years.

p.s. I work in a cop shop, so please...Dont Drink and Drive!

David