By Karen Johnson 
Okay parents. We’ve got eight days to go. I know you know this, because I know your kids reminded you this morning when they were fighting over whose turn it is to open that tiny door on the advent calendar. And also when they handed you their “updated list” last night, I know you frantically checked your phone to see if there were enough Amazon Prime days left to get it all done. We’re almost there, people. Eight days until that magical day of joy and Christmas spirit. That day full of laughter and squeals of delight when they see all that Santa brought. Or, more accurately, the day they jump on our necks at 5:34 a.m., tear open 12 hours worth of wrapping in 11 minutes, and mom sneaks a little extra wine in order to cope with the noise, the mess, and Uncle Joe’s obnoxious jokes at the dinner table.
Either way, it’s Christmas in parenthood. And last Saturday night’s SNL skit about “the best Christmas ever” is so realistic it made me cry (both with laughter, and mommy tears).
The skit starts off with the classic scene that we all hope to have on Christmas night. The kids are in bed. The extended family has left. And it’s just you and your husband, sitting on the couch, peacefully sitting by your tree and a roaring fire, reminiscing about how perfectly joyous the day was.
Was it really though?
As the couple (hilariously played by Matt Damon and Cecily Strong) look back on their day, they recall being awoken by crazed jumping monkeys before 6:00. And then remember stumbling downstairs in a fog and barely getting a sip of coffee before packages were torn open in shrieks of excitement.
And of course, Dad was up most of the night before, happily (and not all at swearing up a storm and chucking his tools at the wall) assembling his daughter’s playhouse. So he’s suuuuuper well-rested.
The skit also ties in the joys of hosting family, including complaints about traffic, criticisms about weight gain, and awkward political debates. Yaaaaaay.
And it also includes that fun “no fighting on Christmas because you all just got 82 new toys and should be grateful!” rule that you know all kids follow (Hahahaha! *sobs)
But perhaps the best part, the part that rings the most true, is the awkward gift you get from your kids that you have to pretend to love (in Matt Damon’s case, it’s giant bear paw slippers). But the truth is, we don’t have to pretend. We love these gifts the most, because they’re from our kids.
I can relate, Matt, as I personally ask for new slippers every couple years. When my daughter was a little bitty (probably around 3 or 4), my husband let her pick them out. So, you can imagine that I obviously opened bright purple slippers with a giant hot pink flower on them on Christmas morning. And you can be sure that I wore those babies with pride until they fell apart. A few years later, she got to choose again—this time they were black slippers (slightly less obnoxious, but they were still sparkly!) and those died just a month ago. This year, I eagerly await what I’ll see on Christmas morning—and if they’re bear paws, that will be okay with me.
This year, I’m 110% sure my husband and I will be up on Christmas Eve until 2 a.m. wrapping and assembling and laying out gifts. And we’ll be woken up by the pitter-patter of feet well before 6 a.m. I’ll probably drink some (a lot) of wine on Christmas day. My kids will fight like they do everyday. But on the night of the 25th, I hope to sit on my couch together, like Matt and Cecily, and look with back with pride at our “best Christmas ever.” Because despite all of the hilarious parenting truths portrayed in this video (and they are truths for sure), it will be. I have no doubt.
Christmas is going to be different this year, but we think it still has the potential to be the “best Christmas ever.” Snag our masked Santa ornament to commemorate what’s sure to be a unique holiday season.
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