because normally on this day , i would be ( 1 ) helping mom chop and peel food for christmas dinner the following night while we listened to christmas music and sang along , ( 2 ) helping dad wrap presents and organize the mountains of gifts around the tree , ( 3 ) wondering if i should put a sedative in langston 's water bot le so he 'd fall asleep early and then have no problem get ing up at ve the next morning to open presents with me , ( 4 ) wondering if grandpa will like the sweater i knit him ( poorly , but i get bet er each year , and he still wears them anyway , unlike langston ) , and ( 5 ) hoping and praying i was going to get a brand-new bike , or any other major gift of comparable extravagance , the following morning .