Contrary to what many may believe, I'm not typically a morning person. Touring will do that to you. Late nights, long days, sleeping in until noon whenever I can to catch up on missed hours. But everything changed when the twins came along.

Now, I don't just wake up early. I look forward to it. There's just something about waking up to the most important people in your life so excited to see you.

Which is why, even though it’s barely sunrise and I still feel half asleep, the second I hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway, I’m already smiling into my pillow. I crack my eyes open a little when I hear whispering outside our bedroom door.

"Ellie, you knock."

"No, you knock!"

"What if we just run in?"

I chuckle a little under my breath and lift my head off my pillow just enough to speak, my voice hoarse with morning voice. "Come in, little gremlins."

I've barely finished the last syllable before the door bursts open, both five year olds running in with their matching snowman pajamas wrinkled and hair in fifteen different directions. "It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" They shriek at the same time before launching themselves onto the mattress. Elliott manages to plop right on my ribs, making me wheeze in surprise, while Eloise wrangles her way in between us. Although she's mostly curled up into your side.

Quite the mummy's girl, that one.

"Merry Christmas, you two." I hum, carefully adjusting Elliott into a spot where he isn't pressing on any vital organs. They're getting a little too big to just be throwing themselves haphazardly onto me, but I'll truly die before I admit that my little ones aren't so little anymore.

"Santa came!" Elliott states cheerfully. "Yeah! And- And he ate all of his cookies and drank his milk and he even taked all his carrots for the reindeer!" Eloise babbles excitedly, making me smile a bit at her lit up expression. "Took, angel. He took the carrots." I gently correct her wording. She frowns, huffing a bit at her own mistake, and I give her chin a light pinch.

"Mummyyyyyy," Elliott whines, reaching over to shake your shoulder. "Can we go open presents, please please pleaseeeeeeee?"