"Come on, it's time to get up!!" their youngest, 8-year-old Traci, insisted as she shook her father's shoulder.

"Yeah, we want to open our presents!" added 10-year-old Charlie as he bounced up and down next to his mother.

James groaned as he looked over at the clock through half-open eyes.

"What time is it?" Sue asked, refusing to open her own eyes.

"It's 6:30 in the bloody AM," James told her.

"Uuuhhhhhh, that's too early. Wake me in an hour," Sue replied.

James rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked up at the smiling faces of his children.

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't wake us up until at least 7:00," he chastised.

"We couldn't wait! Now get it up! There's no sleeping in on Christmas!" Traci told her father as she tugged at his arm.

"That's right, Dad. No sleeping in today. Now up and at 'em," added his 15-year-old son Paul, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I would hardly call 7:00 AM sleeping in," he countered. "And since you woke us up early, I'm changing the time to 7:30, so come back in an hour and then we'll go open presents."

He then closed his eyes and pretended he was going back to sleep. He knew it was no good, and that the kids would pester them until they got out of bed, but he figured he might as well have a little fun making it as difficult for them as possible.

"Daaaaddddyyyy!! You can't go back to sleep!" Traci whined. ......(cont)