Matching Christmas pajamas is a fun family tradition for some people. They look ridiculous, like the outtakes from a Target catalog, but I’m pretty sure that’s the point. It’s also a great excuse to spend multiple days in your pajamas. But the actions taken while everyone is dressed alike are usually confined to opening gifts, watching TV, and eating an unconscionable amount of food. It is much rarer, for example, to go outside as a family and FIGHT A FIRE.
One family in Texas got to spend their Christmas morning doing just that, as some of the younger members of the family accidentally started a fire in the front yard. It started with the 12-year-old son who asked for a magnifying glass for Christmas. He was a curious, scientifically-inclined kid, so the family thought it was for academic reasons.
Instead, he used it for what adolescent boys use it for, and he tried to set a fire. Fortunately for him, he has two brothers, so they were able to successfully complete the task. Unfortunately for all of them, it was a windy day, and what started as a small paper fire quickly turned into a front-yard blaze.
When the boys came running in to yell that the front yard and Christmas lights were melting, the parents ran into action. Everyone started grabbing buckets, blankets, sprinklers, and the family turned Christmas morning into a blaze-fighting extravaganza.
As chaotic as a Christmas morning can be, take solace in the fact that your family didn’t have to turn into a Christmas pajama-clad bucket brigade, trying to contain a fire you just started.
The mom said it could’ve been much worse, and because it turned out well with a happy ending, it’s a story they will remember forever. And, I’d wager, it’s one the neighbors aren’t soon to forget either.
