Merry Christmas everyone!
It’s my 31st Christmas and this one has been really different than the past ones. Why? The real reason is the kids.
You see I’ve never really been the type to celebrate Christmas. I mean I do buy Christmas presents and all but my family doesn’t really celebrate it officially. Christmas also happens to be my parents’ anniversary so most of our Christmas are just spent having an anniversary dinner with my parents.
All this changed when I started living away from my parents (so I can’t always have anniversary dinners with them) and when I have kids. Like now.
The thing about Christmas is that it’s a really magical festive time. Almost like Disneyland. I wanted my kids to be able to experience this magic growing up. Believing that Santa Claus did exist and that they were getting presents for being good.
Last year Fighter was probably too young to appreciate or know anything but this year he’s old enough (Penny’s still too young though).
So we made sure that we put up a nice Christmas tree at home. Decorated it with ornaments and lights and over the past few weeks put more and more presents under the Christmas tree.
Then Christmas day morning we let Fighter open up all his presents one by one. Along with Penny. Yeah we didn’t wait for Boxing Day.
Fighter had presents from me and Shorty. We decided to buy him really educational toys. Then he also had presents from his aunties and uncles that got him everything from an inflatable remote controlled Minion to a stuffed Peppa Pig. Both of which are his favorite cartoons.
Penny’s presents were really simple. We bought her a teapot (which Fighter hijacked and seemed to like over his presents).
And we bought her a small round thing that she can chew (something Shorty picked). True enough she didn’t like the teapot that much but she loved that round thing she could chew.
We spent our Christmas doing a few things. We spent it opening presents so he had a sense of receiving. We let him give presents so he had a sense of giving.
And we had dinner with the family so he knows that Christmas is also about the family getting together. It’s the end of Christmas Day now and Fighter is upstairs getting ready for bed as I write this.
I can safely say though that he enjoyed his day. For Penny… I don’t think she realized what was going on most of the time but she looked like she had fun too.
Oh and she also looked really cute in her Christmas dress.
Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you guys had a wonderful one.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space