We will never

 We will never experience this version of Christmas again.

Not with kids this little.
Not with their voices sounding exactly the way they do right now.
Not with these exact wishes, these routines, these tiny quirks that make this season feel like magic.

Next year they will be older.
They will reach for different toys.
They will need you in different ways.
They will grow right in front of you and you won’t even notice until you look back and realize how much has changed.

So slow down for a second.
Take the blurry pictures.
Let the wrapping paper pile up on the floor.
Watch their faces.
Listen to their laughter.
Hold the moment a little tighter than usual.

Because this Christmas will only happen once.
This version of them.
This version of you.
This version of your family.

And one day you will miss it with your whole heart.