The Orgy Of Greed

When I was but a mere slip of a lad, I used to believe that if I went to bed extra special early on Christmas Eve, then Christmas itself would come quicker. I had not, at that time, taken into account that I would be laying there in a pool of fevered anticipation, not able to close my eyes. Instead, my brain was full of the things that a slip of a lad would have running about his head. These weren't sugar plums. These were vivid images of a living room packed to the ceiling with presents wrapped in paper that reflected the lights from the tree that was all but obscured by the packages. The stockings were still hung by the chimney, but now they were stuffed full and overflowing with candy, Hot Wheels and all manner of goodies that could be shoved inside.
My wishes had been informed and itemized through nearly constant exposure to the last fifty or so pages of the JC Penny Winter catalog. The ones with all the toys. These were the pages that informed my brothers and I as we labored over our lists to Santa. And even as our belief in Saint Nick began to waver, we continued to make discrete and careful descriptions of those things that were most wanted (needed) and which could be left up to the elves' discretion. Even as we set out that plate of cookies and cup of egg nog, alongside the carrots for the reindeer, we considered additions and substitutions to the list.
Then we waited.
My bed was in the corner of the room, and as I lay there and looked up under the drawn curtains into the night sky, I was certain that I could see movement. Suddenly, I was swept up in a blur of anxiety. We were perhaps only moments away from a visitor from the north. What if I wasn't actually asleep? What if he just passed us by? Just because I couldn't close my eyes and drift off into unworried slumber? I would not be able to bear my brothers' disappointment in me. The lights hanging from the eaves outside taunted me with their blinking. Stay Awake! Don't Miss A Thing!
Eventually, year after year, I managed to drift off. Only to wake up before the sun and wait for the release time agreed upon prior to bedtime with our parents. Then the mad dash to the living room, where we discovered a scene that was not far removed from our imaginations.
And I believe I am the luckiest slip of a lad on earth. Again.