Christina and I aren't religious, but we celebrate Christmas largely because it's a fun opportunity to spoil the kids just a little bit. This Christmas was one of firsts, on several counts.

For Pumpkin, it's his first Christmas ever; he's still politely baffled at basically everything, and the holiday was no exception. He didn't object to the change of scenery and pace, but it didn't mean anything to him. His main present: a very soft and cuddly blue animal of indeterminate form, courtesy of his aunt. (Opinions are divided as to what this thing is supposed to represent; votes are divided between "cow" and "hippopotamus".)

For Olive, this is the first Christmas where she understands, anticipates, and eagerly participates in all the festivities. She identified each door on her advent calendar by reading the numbers, and identified her own presents by looking for the letters of her name. Those presents work out to something like 60% books, 30% art supplies, and 10% wildcards¹.

For Christina and myself, this is the first time we've broken the pattern we agreed to before marriage, in which we'd alternate our holidays between the US and Germany. An global pandemic and a newborn are both valid reasons, of course, but it would have been nice to be able to stick to it.

Right now, life is very busy, but quite good. Our family is in the midst of a joyful holiday season, and we wish the same to you.