Lizzie put her finger to her lips just to make sure her seven year old brother got the point. Then she took his hand as she began tiptoeing down the stairs in the dim light of the Christmas tree. The sun would be up soon, but not just yet. The ironclad rule of No Waking Anyone Before Seven A.M. had been established for many years, and both Lizzie and Stephen were basically rule-abiding children. That didn't curb their Christmas enthusiasm at all, though, and neither of them could help getting up to beat the sun to Christmas.
While their parents peacefully slept for another couple of hours, the kids would marvel at the beautifully wrapped packages. Lizzie would take care of making hot cocoa and starting up a fire in the fireplace - she had learned to do both in the last month at school. They were allowed to take just one item each from their stockings, which they would open in the soft, warm light of the fire while they waited for Mum and Dad to finally get up.
As the years went by, Lizzie started going by Liz or Elizabeth. She argued with her mother about her clothes, and she wailed about her father embarrassing her in front of boys. Even so, she never stopped letting her brother wake her up for Christmas.