Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody! I’m soooooo excited right now! I haven’t even opened present and it is 8:20 cuz I just got up! So enjoy the photostory!!

*almost all of the pictures are edited to make it look darker, and some of the pictures at the beginning are blurry because the camera was in the wrong setting.*

I yawned and blinked my eyes sleepily as I woke up early morning December 25.

I sat up and stared blankly at the Christmas tree for a few seconds before I remembered what day it was.

Christmas! Hurray!

I gently kicked Izzy and when she opened one eye, I whispered, “Merry Christmas, Sleeping Beauty.”

The second my words sunk in, Izzy jumped up and stared dancing, humming The Nutcracker.

As she curtsied after her mini performance, I began clapping.

My applause woke up Tracy, and she mumbled as she sat up, “Why did you wake me up? I was having the most beautiful dream about a magical land where the snow tasted like sugar, and there was a fairy . . . The Sugar Phone Fairy. . . “

Izzy and I giggled as we realized what Tracy’s dream had been about.

“I believe it was The Sugar Plum Fairy, Tracy,” I hinted.

Then Isabelle and I skipped around the room, shaking our sisters until everyone was awake.

“Merry Christmas!” we sang.

Emily crawled out from under her blankets and made her way to the plate of cookies she had left for Santa. There was nothing left but a few crumbs. “Molly! Santa was here,” Emily exclaimed.

Tracy and I shared a mischievous smile. Santa and his elf had been busy last night.

Caroline raised her hands in the air and shouted, “Go!!” We all dashed to the Christmas tree to find our presents.

We sat down close to the girl we had gotten for Secret Santa and passed around the wrapped boxes until we each had a present with our name on it in our lap.

I looked over at Tracy as I picked up my present from Molly. I was her Secret Santa.

Then we all started ripping off bows and opening boxes!

In mine was a bag, a bracelet, and a shirt. “Thank you, Molly!” I said.

Molly got a wall hang-y thing and a notebook.

Caroline got a birdhouse and a picture frame.

Emily got a set of colonial paper dolls.

Ivy got a panda stuffed animal, a phone with an emerald doodle case, and two Percy Jackson books, The Lightning Theif , and The Sea of Monsters.

Isabelle got a sewing machine!

I stood behind Tracy as she lifted the lid. No way was I going to miss her reaction!

Inside were two Spiderman posters, a Spiderman necklace, and a phone case of a cute little owl with a mustache.

“Ta daa!” I said.

I grinned as I looked at one of the pictures. What could I say? :)

I went up to my bedroom and changed into my new shirt as my sisters oohed and aahed over their gifts.

I smiled when I came back downstairs and my family told me how great I looked in my outfit.

Then we went for the stockings!

Ivy pulled a candy-cane and a card with what her name meant out of her stocking. We each had the same thing — except some of us got Snickers or mints.

We spread out our name cards and laughed about what they said.

Emily Anne

Hardworking; God has favored me

Tracy Rene’

Bold, brave; to rise again

Isabelle Rose

Devoted to God; flower

Caroline Noelle

Song of happiness; birthday. Refers to Christ’s birth.

Molly Kristina

Wished-for child; Christian.

Ivy Jade

Faithfulness, ivy; jewel.

Saige Courtney

Wise. Associated with sagebrush, cowboys, and the Wild West. Court attendant.

“Who put the stuff in the stockings?” Molly asked.

We looked at each other and shrugged.

“Was it Mom?” Isabelle suggested.

“Santa!” Emily cried.

“It wasn’t Mom,” Caroline said.

“How do you know?” Ivy asked.

Caroline smiled sheepishly as she said, “I kind of spied on her last night.”

I suddenly asked, “Who turned the Christmas tree lights on? I was the first up this morning, and it was already on when I woke up.”

“I’m telling you, it’s Santa!” Emily insisted, waving her hands wildly in the air. “And he even ate the extra cookie I set out for him after his elves ate the peanut-butter blossoms. It was chocolate!”