Tommy woke up on Christmas morning before the sun came up. He was six years old, and Christmas was his favorite day of the whole year!
He tiptoed down the hallway in his pajamas with the reindeer on them. The house smelled like cinnamon and pine trees. When he got to the living room, he gasped.
The Christmas tree was sparkling with colorful lights. Underneath it were presents wrapped in shiny red and green paper with big bows on top. Tommy's eyes grew as wide as snowballs.
"Can I open them? Can I? Can I?" Tommy asked when his mom and dad came downstairs.
"After breakfast," Mom said with a smile.
Tommy ate his pancakes faster than ever before. Then finally, FINALLY, it was time.
He opened a box with a toy fire truck that had real flashing lights. He opened another box with books about dinosaurs. His baby sister got a soft teddy bear and hugged it tight.
But Tommy's favorite present wasn't a toy at all. It was making cookies with his family that afternoon. They made snowmen cookies and reindeer cookies and ate almost as many as they decorated.
That night, Tommy climbed into bed with a full, happy heart.
"This was the best Christmas ever," he whispered.
And do you know what? He said the exact same thing next Christmas too!