What is your favorite Christmas gift?

This one is especially difficult for me.  I thought back  through my childhood and came  up with a tea set. I'm not sure what was so special about it. I believe I also got a doll, but something about that tea set stayed in my memory. I don't even remember how old I was, but I do remember it was white with pink flowers. Probably most of them were. Not only did it have a tea pot, cups & saucers, it came with spoons. I was pretty much a tomboy, so why I wanted a teaset I'm not sure. Okay, I played with dolls too, but I really loved climbing trees and playing ball with my brothers (when they let me). I can't say my older sister played with doll much either. I remember she got one also. Hers was taller than mine and walked. Mine didn't do much of anything but open and close her eyes, and it came with a baby bottle. That was okay, I didn't care that it couldn't walk. It was more fun pretending I was drinking tea - or more than likely coffee, since that's what my parents drank. Maybe it made me feel grownup.  I remember drinking hot chocolate in those cups a few times.

As years went on, I'm sure I received many gifts that I loved - Darned if I can remember any of them. Until that year 46 years ago today, when my second daughter was born.  I was getting pretty nervous with Christmas right around the corner. She was already ten days late. Back then doctors didn't think too much of it if you were late as long as everything looked okay. Obviously, it did.

I remember going to the doctor the day before and nothing indicated this baby was ready to be born. No pains, no dialation. Sure, she was down in the birth canal, but heck she'd been down there for a week.  My sister and husband figured they could make me go into labor. My sister actually made me do knee bends and made hubby drive over the railroad tracks real fast. What she thought that was going to do, other screw up my car, was beyond me.  Of course none of that worked. So she came up with this other brainsstorm.  I was to go to the hospital  and tell them I was in labor. Doh....did she think they were stupid and in about ten minutes would figure out I wasn't.  But, I figured, what the heck. The worse they would do was send me home, so off we went.

Well of course I wasn't having pains and when I got there, I had to pretend they stopped. But lo and behold, I was dialating, so they kept me overnight. The next day I wasn't progressing very much, but I was having pains, few and far between.  By 2:30 in the afternoon, the doctor decided to break my water. He said it would be a while yet and left the room. 

I looked at the nurse and said, "my baby's coming."
"No, honey," she said. "The doctor said it's going to be a while."
I shook my head. "No, the baby's coming now."
Maybe it was something in my voice, or maybe just to humor me, she checked me. "Stop the doctor," she yelled. "Her baby's coming."

I guess I just didn't want him to leave the hospital. Anyway, that Christmas we celebrated with two children. My oldest daughter, almost two, was so much fun to watch open her gifts and admire her baby sister. So, I guess, that was my favorite Christmas gift. To be blessed with two beautiful children. 
God was espeically good to us and blessed us with another daughter and three sons and they've blessed me with fourteen grandchildren and now one great grandchild. So what is my favorite Christmas gift? Every year when we get together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior is my favorite gift.