Torture

Mike has decided that we need presents under the tree. I get that. It looks festive, it's exciting, and it's pretty.

But for a toddler, it's an exercise in torture. That poor kid has to sit and look at the gifts under the tree for the next two weeks. I'm hoping that the need to take my hand and ask "will you just come over here by the tree and look at the presents, mama?" will go away in a few days.

I can't complain too much, though. Mike has done absolutely all of the Christmas shopping to date. He even took Layla to the toy store today so that she could pick out a gift to give Evie. Something about the whole 'teaching her that Christmas is about giving', something or other. Tomorrow they go get my gift from her, so perhaps this lesson isn't all bad.

My goal is that we come out of the next two weeks without any lasting effects. The beads of sweat that line her brow, the twitch and involuntary jerk/lunge for the presents, and the jumpy eyes that keep checking to make sure that they are still under the tree are all symptoms that should fade quickly. Right?