Maybe it's the presents, maybe it's all those sweet cookies. Whatever the case, kids tend to come out with some real winners during the holidays. Here are a few selections that we just couldn't help sharing.
My husband and I returned from a trip to Mexico and were hit with a severe case of the "traveler's two-step" just in time for the holidays. Moaning and groaning with our tummy problems, we spent Christmas Eve and Day in the bedroom, staying close to our bathroom. Thankfully, my mom and dad watched our children while we recovered. A week later, we were feeling better, and we hosted our annual New Year's Eve party. A curious family friend asked Alex, my six-year-old, what we did to celebrate the holidays. "Not much," he replied. "Mom and Dad were in bed for two whole days, and you should have heard the weird noises coming out of their room!"--Barbara Jannatpour, Henderson, Nevada
Two years ago, we went to my mom's on Christmas Day and were playing outside when her neighbor asked my four-year-old son, Logan, if he had received presents from Santa that morning. "Yes," he replied. "He must have forgot that I was naughty."--Jennifer Sheridan, Northridge, California
Last year, my five-year-old daughter, Bobbie, and three-year-old son, Sean, were extremely excited for Christmas to arrive. Every hour or so, they'd ask how much longer until the big day. Early one morning about a week before Christmas, I was driving the kids to their sitter when a radio DJ mentioned that "Christmas is right around the corner!" My daughter, who usually sleeps all the way to the sitter's, sat up and screamed, "Hurry up, Mom, turn the corner. It's Christmas!"--Sally Burton-Szabo, West Farmington, Ohio
One year, when my parents were coming to visit for the holidays, I purchased a variety of small gifts for them to give to my children for each night of Hanukkah. My three-year-old daughter, Sarah, and I had talked about being gracious when receiving gifts, so every time she opened one, she would exclaim, "It's just what I wanted!" On the fifth night, my dad handed each of the kids a small package containing a geode, which they could crack open to reveal the crystals inside. When Sarah opened her gift, she cried out in great glee, "A rock! Just what I always wanted!" My mother laughed so hard, she was in tears.--Lisa Emerling, Mill Creek, Washington
My husband is a big kid who still enjoys Christmas as much as the children. He gets a little carried away buying toys, and I sometimes wonder if they are for our son, Haden, age four, or really for him. Last year, when my husband came home from shopping, he had a giant helicopter with numerous firefighters and all sorts of lifesaving gear. He spent a few hours putting it together on Christmas Eve and setting it up just right under the tree. When our son came out on Christmas morning to see what surprises Santa had left him, he exclaimed, "I got a basketball and look, Daddy, what Santa brought for you!"--Kelly March, Peoria, Arizona
