Home for the Holidays: 'The Night Before Christmas' read-aloud
Over the years, my siblings and I stopped leaving carrots out for the reindeer and started sleeping in on Christmas morning. We are all adults, but to my parents, that does not exempt us from the magic of Christmas. To tether us to the childlike wonder of the holiday, every Christmas Eve, we sit around my dad as he reads us a bedtime story: 'The Night Before Christmas'.
My grandparents gifted the book to me when I was just one month-old.
"Merry Christmas Sammy. We love you very much! Grandfather and Grandmother. 2000," the dedication reads.
Despite it being mine, it's now a family relic that I'm sure we'll all fight over one day.
It's usually late at night when we get home from celebrating with my dad's side of the family. Being one of four siblings takes a toll on you, especially during the holidays. Someone's always crabby, there's usually some bickering, no one is in the Christmas spirit anymore, except my mom and dad.
We all know that it's non-negotiable: you aren't allowed to sleep until the prophecy was complete. Mom lets us rummage through the fridge and grab a snack before we all take our designated seats in the living room.
When I hear the storytelling cadence in my dad's voice kick in, "'twas the night before Christmas," I feel a jingle in my chest and my inner child sink into the couch with my brothers and sister.
Slowly, our angst withers away and our attention turns to the poem we all have memorized. Having only been opened 22 times, it's in great condition. The pages so perfect and clean, my dad has to lick his thumb to separate them.
We giggle at his pronunciation of the 19th century phrases and peer over his shoulder to look at the illustrations. By the end of the story, we're walking over our father's words and saying the familiar lines before he can even get to them.
Life moves fast. Siblings grow up. Traditions get lost in the chaos and it's easy to forget to take the time to slow down and just be with those you love. The trouble is, you never understand the beauty of small moments like this until they've slipped away.
Three college students and a graduate later, getting to listen to my dad read while my mom watches us is one of the few ways I can feel like a kid again. Listening to this story every year is a reminder we are healthy, safe, and together. Despite the uncertainty of life and the craziness that can occur in a year, we can always count on hearing those magical words that will surely put us to sleep.
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
Sam Woodward is the Minnesota Elections Reporting Fellow for USA Today. You can reach her at swoodward@gannett.com and follow her on X @woodyreports.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Home for the Holidays: Christmas Eve read-aloud
