The 12 Blogs of Christmas: Part 11 "The Switch"

It's Christmas morning! The magic of the late night Christmas Eve service is still in the air and the long anticipated day is finally here. I sit up in bed, take a deep breath, stretch, and turn to look at the clock to see that it is... 10:47!? How did this happen???

When I was younger, the thought of sleeping in this late was ridiculous. How on earth could I continue to stay in bed when the reality of a stockpile of presents with my name on them was so much better than anything I could dream? I remember feeling like I was being punished because my parents had told me I had to stay in my room until 7 am. Once 7 am hit, I could not understand why my parents were acting so tired and worn out. Sure! They may have stayed up until 2 or 3 am making sure that all the presents were wrapped and under the tree, but 4 hours of sleep should be more than enough for the wonder of Christmas... right?

"Christmaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!" 

This was the story for most of my childhood Christmases, but then the switch happened. I'm sure you have all experienced it. The switch is that fateful year when you decide to forsake the excitement of Christmas for the relaxation and comfort of sleep. My first switch involved a four-hour swing. The year before, I had been up by around 7:30 am; the following year... 11:30!

It cannot be predicted when the switch will take place, but it will happen. But why does this happen? I used to think that it was because I was simply too old to get that excited about Christmas. I had matured. Now I realize, as I'm sure you do too, I'm not mature at all. The reason I stay in bed is for the same reason that I used to get out of bed so early. When I was younger, I actually had the power to manipulate when we opened presents. Earlier is better, so I would get up early to open presents sooner. As I got older, however, my powers of manipulation had faded. My older siblings had moved out of the house and there was no chance we would be opening gifts before noon. Thus, I slept in. Sleeping in meant that I could open presents sooner after waking.

Nice work, sleepy Gus. 

So if you happen to be feeling sad that you've lost some of your childhood excitement for Christmas, don't be. You're just playing the game better and getting your presents earlier in your day. Well done, Christmas sleeper. Well done. The Christmas Spirit is alive in you!