5 Reasons Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day.

How many Christmas Days until you believe me?

Christmas Eve is an exciting night filled with promise. It’s full of expectations that haven’t yet met ugly reality. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day is everything you want it to be, the best day of the year.

Here are some examples:

Eve: You can only smell and see the food in your mind, and it’s awesome.

Day: That burned smell from the rolls. The kale salad someone brought because they thought people should also eat something healthy. The mystery dish with bits of bright colors in it. Raisins in the stuffing.

Eve: You know Grandma’s going to love the gift you bought her, and you can’t wait to see her face when she opens it.

Day: She receives the same thing from a couple of other grandkids. She says “how nice” or “that’s interesting” (which is the kiss of death for a gift). She forgets to take it when she leaves.

Eve: You’re excited to see family.

Day: You obviously forgot why you tell people your family is batshit crazy. From the aunt who wants to show everyone the x-rays of her shoulder surgery, to the sister that insists on kissing everyone on the mouth.

Eve: You can’t wait to see what Santa brought you.

Day: Like Grandma, you’re struggling to keep from rolling your eyes when you open the electric shoe deodorizer, or the Bigfoot ornament. You say out loud “you shouldn’t have!” while inside you’re also saying “you really, really shouldn’t have!”

Eve: The church service is going to be beautiful, with choirs, music, and a wonderful sermon about the joys of what Christmas means.

Day: It takes forever to find a place to park. There are no more places to sit, so you’re standing behind a pillar that makes you lean to see anything that’s happening. And you had to wear your “good sweater” that itches at the collar and the middle of your back.

Merry Christmas anyway.