December 22, 2025: The Christmas Countdown (Day 10)

Christmas morning starts on the stairs.

This is a tradition since the kids were small, with their pajamas and bedhead. They sit on the border between the ordinary upstairs and the magic Santa left downstairs.

We take annual pictures, and of course, my role is to amp the moment up.

I go back and forth to the room full of presents, talking about how they won’t believe what’s in there, saying things like, “If only you could see what I see” or “Hold on tight, your jaws are about to drop.”

For those few minutes, time slows down. The world is just the creaking stairs and the wonder around the corner. Like shaking a soda can and bracing for the explosion.

Yeah, this doesn’t work as much now that they’re in their 20s. Their past excitement has turned to humoring their dad.

But still, once the green light is given, we video them coming down for the big reveal.

One of our many little traditions.

If you need a hype man, I’m your guy.