I hope Santa bought me a telescope

were the words that came out of her mouth as she ran down the stairs, blonde hair streaming behind her.

I knew she'd been awake for a while because at exactly 7 am, the time we told her she could be up, she was standing at our bedside... big grin from ear to ear. She had been counting down the days for weeks. The advent calendar wasn't enough, she made her own little calendar on the fridge so she would always know how many days it was until Christmas. She was one excited little girl.

Well Santa didn't let her down. By the fire place was the biggest honking telescope you could ever hope to find. As I protested loudly wondering where the heck we were going to put something so big, she started to laugh. A big beautiful belly laugh of joy.

After exploring her own stocking contents she happily helped the pets with theirs. Yes we have stockings for the dog, and the birds. Her insistence. We happily oblige. It's these little things that help keep the belief alive and we want that for her.

There's something so special about seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. There is a wonderment that is born out of belief that you simply cannot experience any other way. I treasure these days as I know that at some point they will end. But yesterday was pure magic.