It's the morning after Thanksgiving, and what a beautiful memory was made this early morning.

Let me set the framework...in my family, it has been a long-standing tradition to see who can be the first person up in the mornings to put on the first Christmas music of the season. NO Christmas music was allowed before this moment, making the season begin with a bang. This was always one of my favorite traditions, probably intensified by the fact that later that morning we would all don our duds and head to the muddy fields to select and bring home the perfect Christmas tree.

So, this music tradition has been part of David's and my day-after-Thanksgiving routine from the first, and we went to bed last night with his iPod and my Blackberry loaded with Christmas music and ready to push play. This morning, we were in the guest room of David's parents' home, sprawled out in a roomy king-size bed, with little Alina Grace between us. We woke up at the same time, looked at each other, and reached for our respective players. David gave me the deference to play the first song of the season (which, when I win the "race", is always Amy Grant's "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). Baby woke up with a huge smile and started crawling toward the lights. Our little dog wiggled her way up from the foot of the bed and poked her nose out next to David. And there we lay for over an hour, all 4 of us in a row, enthralled with the magic of Christmas music once again.

I am eager to experience this Christmas season. It will be my first as a parent. Though Ali won't remember it, she will be enthralled by the lights and the excitement, and I can't wait to hear her squeals of delight and see her big eyes of wonderment. I will see Christmas through new eyes.