14 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack,

For the past several weeks, I have had this habit of saying out loud, “I feel like this is the first time since being a parent that I am no longer the Grinch at Christmas. This is the year my heart finally grew three times larger.”

No need to pack the car full of all the Christmas gifts and drive three hours, only to not be able to sleep in our own house.

As for you though, that was apparently a big part of the feeling of Christmas for you. That was the only version of Christmas you ever knew: Going to Nonna and Papa’s house.

So for our first Christmas as a family here in Alabama, after we opened gifts here as a family of four at our own house, we drove up to Nonna and Papa’s house to spend the rest of the day with the rest of the family.

At the end of the day, as we were driving back home, you finally confirmed: “Now, it finally felt like Christmas.”

Love,

Daddy