This is a true story of Jared's first Christmas Eve, which was at my parent's house in Anaheim Hills, California. I was truly overwhelmed with love. Jared actually wasn't quite so tiny, however. He was almost eight and a half pounds, and I carried him for almost ten months. My parents had gotten my cockapoo when I was twelve, and we named her Mimi. She was quite the little mother to Jared, much like Nana in Peter Pan. I knew when I had my own children it was very important to me to have a special first, memories so Jared could share with his family one day. I wanted to carve time out of each day to read, explore, and discover our world again through his eyes. I realized quickly how each day my little man changed and how fast he was growing. I would document his changes on a calendar so I wouldn't miss a thing. I wanted to expose him to the lights on the tree, the carolers that came to the door that night, and the important reason we were celebrating this very special event. I sat down with my very happy little man and told him all the things we would take him to see at Christmas. In the years to come, we would have large family gatherings and the beautiful Christmas songs I would teach him. When Jared was about ten, my mother and I took Jared to see the Nutcracker Ballet, with all the color and beauty on stage. Even as Jared was much older, he watched a Christmas show with his brother, selling the Christmas goose to Scrooge in scenes from a Christmas Carol and I as Mrs. Cratchet. So as I share some of the Christmas holidays we enjoyed, I hope your children will enjoy the colors, the pageants, and the real reason we celebrate this joyous time of year! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!