Dear Lily June,
Your dad got sick and couldn’t cook the Christmas meal. The Linzer cookies I made all baked together into a giant blob. It didn’t snow. You dropped a poop-‘splosion in your Santa pajamas. You got overwhelmed by the sounds and the lights and the smells and the toys of the season and had a tiny holiday meltdown.
In other words, it was a perfect first Christmas.
I say that without a whiff of insincerity or a hint of sarcasm. All the small things that went wrong? They were all small things. Your dad took some medication, ordered Chinese food, and slipped into a traditional holiday mini-coma. I recut the cookies after they baked, and they came out looking mildly cookie-like. Even sprinkling the powdered sugar over them felt like watching a sweet snow fall.
Your Santa pj’s got washed–on hot–and when they popped out of the dryer, they were even snugglier than before. I sequestered you to your crib for a little bit with a single toy, a dragon I’ve dubbed “Dragu” for you (rhymes with the pasta sauce), and you were all smiles from then on out. I have never had a better holiday in my life.
It was fifteenth-century Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo who said,
“Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.”
And considering that he produced some of the most memorable art of human history, including the sculpture of the David or the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, he’s probably a dead guy worth listening to. Still, Lily, I think we’ve got him beat. Your mother, after all, has mastered the fine arts of Microsoft Paint. And that, my dear, along with your face, are true perfection. Thank you, my little lovely, for showing me what Christmas is all about. I think my masterpiece below subtly captures the overarching spirit of the day.
***
dearlilyjune 
Merry after Christmas! Your cookies are beautiful! Your Lily looks awesome as usual! My brother’s family does Chinese rather than turkey as their tradition. I hope Ryan is feeling better. Sorry about the snow, wish I could share it with you. And….I missed you! I kept checking my e-mail and seeing your posts but was so busy and no internet so you were constantly on my mind. I am slowly catching up. Loved this post! Our Christmas dinner was very challenging but it turned out well for our first in Colorado. I have to say I enjoyed the peace and quiet with my two significant others, Danny and Yodi. No peace and quiet this morning though, Yodi has been wanting us to get up and demanding constant attention since the early hours. Give Lily a hug for me! 🌻
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Cutest first Christmas ever! Poor deprived baby did’t get any toys, it appears. to top it off, what holiday with a baby would be complete with a total crap blowout?
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I like to think of it as her making the only ‘present’ she knows how to make. I hope your holiday was very merry–or very meow-ly as the case may be. 🙂 Sorry–that’s a pun that deserves its own stocking full of coal…
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SOOO CUTE
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Sweet!
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Seeing this brings back memories of when I hand wrote in my child’s baby journal and of my own baby journal chiseled on stone tablets. My, how tech has changed the lives of us moms. Thank you WordPress. Lilyjune might one day be able to just record thoughts for her child via direct bio-input–the stuff of dreams.
Merry first Christmas Lilyjune, from a very old mom.
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I wish I’d handwritten in a baby book for my daughter–or that my mother had for me! But being a working mama, I have so little time, and this blog gives me a way to connect with Lily (at least in my mind and heart) even when I’m away from her, and for that, I’m grateful!
No matter the age of the mothers or the technology by which they communicate, isn’t it amazing how the love is always the same? From this moderately old mom’s home to yours, Lily and I wish you a belated Merry Christmas, too! 🙂
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Dear Mama, you are (“are” italicized for emphasis) writing a baby book for your daughter. And thank goodness the technology allows moms to do so on lunch or break, by any device, mobile or laptop, and with mixed media, photos, audio, and video. The point is, I give you kudos for this blog–the modern day form of what was once etched on stones, or scribbled illegibly. Yes, this blog gives you a way to connect with Lily and be “connected” like never before possible. Lily is so lucky!
Much love…
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Hope your Christmas was all that you wanted and Lily was as happy as she could be. Love the piece.
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Corrie, it couldn’t have been better. To resee Christmas through the eyes of a baby, to understand the magic that parents work so hard to bring to life for their children, these were the true gifts I got this year. I’ll treasure them forever. 🙂
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That is wonderful.
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OooOoooh I soo loved this!! Best first Christmas ever!!
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Thanks for the kind words! I hope your post-Mayo Xmas was amazing, too! 🙂
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Thank you so much! It was absolutely amazing. Great time surrounded by family and friends.
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It was a masterpiece! Loved seeing the pics!
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See mama, dreams do come true. Santa didn’t forget about you, and I won’t ever forget the lovely artwork directly over your beautiful face.(see post about taking compliments without potatoes)
Better late than never, unless it’s a sorry for your loss card in which this is not so we’re good! 💜
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Well, then, let me be the *first* to wish you a Merry Christmas for 2016! To know that you and your family had a beautiful holiday would be all the gift my family needs! (But we’ll probably buy Lily some little somethings.)
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