Everything slows down at the grandparents' house around the holidays.

Time forgets its seconds and focuses on the short stubby hand of the clock. The mornings don't need to be eager to get out of the door for school or work. The middles of the day are ripe for naps, curling with a book, or cutting out another snowflake design to place on the windows.

The snacks are more delicious. The cookies are abundant. And the conversations are familiar.

The countdown to Christmas is no longer an anxiety packed rushing around but a low-boiling anticipation of the morning when the presents are still wrapped and waiting to reveal their secrets.

We savor the time with the people we call home.