Christmas at the top of the Stairs

We've all been there.  As kids at 4 o'clock in the morning waiting for those words from our parents "Santa came! Com'on down and see!".  But what kid can actually SLEEP on Christmas Eve? Well, my brother sure as hell could and I would almost have to drop an atomic bomb on his bed to wake him up to help me stomp on the floor to wake my parents up.  Oh but this wasn't until I waited a dreadful one hour until 5 o'clock to do so.  My parents bedroom was directly below my brothers so we knew stomping on the floor would EVENTUALLY get their butts rollin' out of bed. 

Most of the night, I would spend with my stuffed animals, talking up a storm about exactly what Santa would bring me sitting at the top of the stairs that led to my living room that held the ever powerful Christmas Tree.  In a way, I tortured myself for not even trying to go to sleep.  But as a wide-eyed, pigtailed little girl in her Christmas jammie's, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Though these days, I have no trouble falling asleep AND I tell my son; "You know sweetie, the FASTER you fall asleep, the FASTER Santa comes".  Which isn't exactly a lie.  Time flies when you're sleeping.  I just couldn't do it as a child (thank goodness my son CAN... well, at least now at the age of five) and I spent Christmas at the top of the stairs. 

And what's worse!  When my brother finally DID wake up and start stomping with me, it would take about a half an hour for my parents to finally give in, because we weren't giving up, and come out.  They wouldn't let us down until they had a chance to see what Santa brought.  And they'd come out of their room, my Dad half falling over because he couldn't wake up and my Mother would say "Oh my! Look at alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll these presents Santa brought!! I just can't believe it!" And there would sit my brother and I, now about to chew our own fingers off waiting for "Ok kids, com'on down!". When IT finally happened it was a race down the steps. Really, I'm not sure how we survived to the age of ten with how bad we were going down the steps.  It was every big brother and little sister for themselves!!  Still we made it and into the pile we would go.  My anxiety would fade and happiness would then become the new feeling in my heart.

But for most of the morning, I spent Christmas sitting, alone, at the top of the Stairs.