McCullers (Family of Four): Classic Christmas: A Bike and a BB Gun

Maeve finally warmed up to Santa

First time she's ever sat on his lap - she came with letter in-hand
This is an old-hat for Cam!

The hustle and bustle of the season came and swept us away with it. We enjoyed our traditions and marveled at just how truly blessed we are.

The reaction to the BB Gun and the Bike

The only thing on Maeve's list this year was a bike with a seat for her babies. She reiterated over and over that the baby seat was to be in the front and the bike should be purple. Gotta admire a girl who knows exactly what she wants! I was a little nervous about this specifics when Santa texted me a picture of the bike a few weeks earlier. The seat was actually on the back of the bike and it did have some purple accents on it, but it was not solid purple.

Maeve was the first one up (besides me who inherited a huge case of Christmas Eve insomnia from my older and always excited sister). She came down the stairs holding on to the rail with one hand and sucking the two fingers of her other. About midway, she realized I was staring at her and asked, "Did Santa eat his cookies? Did he drink his milk?" Then she made her way all the way down and stepped into the living room where she saw Santa's artistic display of gifts. There was no missing the largest gift - the bike. She stepped closer to it without touching it and ever so softly noted, "I wanted the baby seat in the front." She then realized she could not dig into any more excitement without her beloved sidekick so she turned around and said, "I gotta go wake up Cam. Come on, Mama." The disappointment only lasted for that brief moment as I assured her Santa was thinking of her safety when he put that baby seat on the back.

Our gifts - paperdolls, Coke bottle
Maeve had to make something for me too - a stamped piece of art!

Cam's big ticket request was a BB gun. He was overjoyed as he stumbled down the stairs to find Santa had left one just for him. He declared, "I think mine is bigger than Bubba's!" (Bubba aka Clayton is his teenage cousin whom he adores). He continued to proclaim as he picked up his gun, "Mama, you gotta take a picture and send it to Aunt Laura!" He went on to explore the rest of his prize possessions and saw Santa had cleverly unpackaged and left in his game area. I thought I heard him say, "I got some wrapping to do." It wasn't long before he came down and presented a hastily wrapped present to me- the paper dolls I had help him cut out a few days prior. I was touched by his kindness and realized that he was catching the Christmas spirit of "better to give than receive." Precious moment that I will always cherish. Not long after he presented my gift, he went missing again and came down this time with another item hidden underneath an untidy wrapping job. It was for his daddy- an empty Coke bottle souvenir that had been in his room. He told Tony that he could use it to pour fresh Coke into. Mine and Tony's eyes met each other and we relished in the tenderhearted child that we get to claim as our own.

The tenderness of the morning came after his touching Christmas Eve prayer, "Thank you for my gifts. Even if it is not what is on my list, I know I am going to like it. And, God, please let Jesus get a present too." Little did he know that he had given us presents that we will always cherish. And I am certain, Jesus is pleased with the gift of unselfishness that He received from Cam this year.