Post Script

PS. to the post I put up an hour ago:

I love my family. When I was in high school I asked for a telescope for Christmas. I got one - I loved that thing. I remember setting it up after Christmas (in Maine), wrapping a blanket around my shoulders and looking at the contours of the moon. You can see a thousand pictures of the moon that someone else took, you can see a person standing on the surface of the moon, but looking at the moon with your own eyes is more magical than either of those. A telescope is one of the purest gifts you can give to someone... the ability to look at the stars in real time is mind-boggling.

I still have that telescope. It has been from Maine to NC to San Diego to Atlanta. I keep dragging that thing around, but never set it up because I don't have a good spot for it (and since I'll soon be living in a tiny apartment in DC I still won't have space). Since I'm driving to Maine I asked my family if they would like me to bring it up so that they can use it.

My mother's response:

"You can bring back the telescope and we'll set it up to find Santa."

Like I said, my family rocks. We range in age from 23 to (nearly) 60, and Christmas is still about magic, Santa, surprises. We still leave cookies out for Santa, and my parents still sign their gifts from Santa. There is really no need to ever turn away from the magic that this time of year brings.

I can't wait to share this with my children.