Early Morning

I jolt awake from a wonderful yet nerve-racking dream. I roll over to my side and click on my phone screen. Bright. Too bright. I groan and squint, fighting the urge to close my eyes. I read the time, disoriented.

3:52 AM.

Dang. I need to sleep. But after that mesmerizing dream... It seemed impossible to sleep. Candy canes, colorful Christmas lights, ornaments on a shiny Christmas tree, presents, roasted ham, pudding...

Gosh am I excited. Just four more hours and I can wake everyone up and see their reactions. The joy and surprise on their faces when they open the presents and stockings... Suddenly, i'm wide awake, all but squealing from excitement and nerves. What if they don't like their gifts? What if the turkey gets overcooked? What if the roasted ham is rotten?

I snicker. Nahhh, that won't happen. It's Christmas! Nothing bad every happens on Christmas if you have enough Christmas spirit! Right?

Alright. Go to sleep. Nope. Too excited. I tip toe out of my room to get some warm milk and some cookies from the cupboard as if I was Santa Claus. Silly, I know. I drink the milk and inhale the delicious cookies before heading quietly back to my room. I lay down in my creaky bed, cover myself with the sheets, and close my eyes. After what feels like an eternity later, I check my phone.

3:59 AM.

You have got to be kidding me. Nope. It's okay! It's Christmas! I'll just... imagine the looks on my family's faces when they open their gifts and eventually fall asleep. Right?

Wrong. Thirty minutes later, I'm laying in my bed, wide awake, my eye twitching just the slightest bit from annoyance. Why the heck can't Ibsleep? Oh, for the love of-

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!

I jump slightly, startled. My alarm is going off. Wait, what?! My alarm is going off! CHRISTMAS TIME!

I open my eyes and click on my phone to turn off the alarm. The apparently non-existent alarm.

5:23 AM.

It was a dream. Of course it was. It always is, isn't it? UGHHH. Why can't I just fall asleep already? Technically, I already did. But still! I groan and roll over to bury my face in my pillow. Struggling to breathe because of the pillow covering my mouth and my nose, I roll over again and lay on my back.

Count sheep! Yes! That always works. Right?

Wrong. Two hundred and forty six sheep later and i'm still so awake I could do a whole exercise routine. Wait. That's genius! Do that!

Fifteen minutes later, my bedroom light is on, I'm rolling out my yoga mat, and i'm in exercise clothes. My pajamas weren't exactly tight enough to work out in...

I start with the warmup. Thirty seconds of three different stretches (thirty seconds for each stretch), and one minute of pushups later, i'm already exhausted. That worked fast! I roll up the yoga mat and change back into my pajamas and i turn off the bedroom light, climbing back into bed immediately after. Alright. Sleep time. I close my eyes, laying flat on my back with my pillow on the floor.

How long has it been? It feels like it's been a year. Let's confirm!

I check my phone again.

5:54 AM.

How? Genuinely how? Huh? Why is life so slow? Okay. Count... the stars.

I sit besides the window and count the stars. More and more keep appearing and I start losing track. Growing frustrated, I groan and kick my legs anxiously.

Okay. We can do this. Just... sleep. Close your eyes, and logically, you should fall asleep after... about twelve minutes. Or seven hundred and twenty seconds. Yes, I did the math. That's how desperate I am.

I lay awake on my bed, eyes closed, counting seconds until I reach seven hundred and twenty. Somehow, I have to accomplish being motionless for twelve whole minutes without moving a muscle except for my breathing. That part is necessary.

Fifty three, fifty four, fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine, sixty. One minute. Eleven more to go. Six hundred and sixty seconds more to go. We got this. Right? Unless I'm doing the math all wrong because it's FIVE IN THE MORNING.

Keep going. Sixty one, sixty two, sixty three, sixty four, sixty five, sixty six, sixty seven, sixty... which number was I on? I think it was fifty three, right?

Wrong. But no matter, because I can just start allll over again. Not that I have anything else to do since sleeping has clearly left the options list. I sigh sharply and close my eyes, starting again. I sit up, with a sudden thirst. A really urgent one. I climb out of bed, slowly, so as to not pass out from getting up too fast, and I tip toe to the kitchen, grabbing a big glass of water and filling it up to the very top, until it's about to overflow. I bring the cup to my lips slowly, carefully, and take a sip, then another, then another until the water is gone. Dang. I really was thirsty. And- oh shoot. I have to pee. I run to the bathroom, trying my best to be quiet.

A couple of minutes later, I walk back to my room and I close the door quietly. I hop onto my bed, crawling under the covers and shivering in warmth and happiness from it. My eyes droop slightly. No way. Finally! I'm sleepy! I close my eyes and an alarm sounds. No. Don't even. I check my phone and it says:

8:00 AM.

Did I just... get bored for nearly five hours with no sleeping except for the probably fifteen minutes of sleep I got when i got tricked by my dream? I did it. It's christmas. I'm not getting my hopes up too much, just in case i'm dreaming again. I grab a book and open it, flipping the light switch on and trying to read the book. I could read, which meant I'm not dreaming. Good! This means... it's christmas! I can wake everyone up and feel the warmth of their smiles and their excitement when opening their presents! Finally.