ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS…

We caught this trio red-handed.

We let the aunties spoil the Little One.

No, that's not usually one of the wonders and joys of Christmas. And we'll probably learn the hard way today why it is really important to keep the Little One on a schedule.

The Wife and I went out last night for her company's holiday party, which was in Providence. As an aside, Fat Belly's Providence spot is a lot of fun and we did have a great time.

See, since the Little One arrived four months ago, we have left him exactly one other time, to attend the wedding of our friends.

So last night we decided to spend a night with the Wife's colleagues and friends. We are fortunate to have the Little One's aunties - Tara and Megan - who were willing to come spend the night with him.

We knew he would have a good time, and sure enough, the Little One was all smiles, waving to us without a care in the world as we left. The aunties have plenty of experience with kids.

Of course, spending time with their nephew is a little different. When we got home at 10:30 p.m., we busted all three of them.

That's right. Auntie Tara, Auntie Megan and the Little One were all still awake, chilling out on the couch. Yes, it was 10:30 p.m. - three hours after the Little One normally goes to bed - and there he was, wide awake and smiling sweetly at us as we walked in the room.

We could have been upset that he wasn't in bed.

But why? In the short term, I'm sure the Little One will be a little cranky tomorrow. Somehow we'll survive.

His aunties, his family, wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. He was in a good mood when we found him, so he clearly enjoyed the time with them.

If this was a regular pattern, I'd be concerned. But it's not. It's one night, and the Little One had an adventure with his family.

If the holiday season is about time with the family, then that's what we chalk last night up to.