For 39 years, the Householder children have been determined to get to the presents without waking the parents.
For the last two generations, Dad has gone to great lengths to prevent it.
What do booby traps have to do with the true meaning of Christmas? It’s a tradition that is too well established to throw away, so instead I’ve thought about what spiritual metaphor can be drawn from it. Turns out, I didn’t have to think very long:
A couple years ago, my husband and I took our seven children to a neighboring state for a read-a-thon. On the way home, we stopped half-way and stayed with my sister for a night to break up the trip. The next morning, in our rush to be on the road again, we gathered our blankets and pillows, said our goodbyes, and loaded the van. My husband was at the wheel and I glanced back to ask the kids, “We got everybody?”
One morning, my husband and I slept in a bit, because the day before had been so jam-packed with preparations for an event we were conducting.









