Holiday Photo Roundup: The Best of the Season from Chesterfield Patch

It may be a bit cliche, but it's true: there's something magical about seeing a holiday through a child's eyes.

Some of my favorite memories are of my sister and youngest brother—who are seven and nine years younger than me, respectively—at Christmas: eyes aglow, hair sticking out every direction and barely able to sit still while they waited at the top of the stairs for the go-ahead to pad down in their pajamas and see what Santa left them. 

This year, I've been lucky enough to see that holiday glow in the eyes of some of your children. We've ran photos of kids trying their first candy cane and kids sitting on Santa's lap, puzzling over what to make of the friendly stranger or eagerly listing their hopes for Christmas gifts. With each picture that captures the light in their eyes, I've gotten a little jolt of holiday spirit and thought of my family and our holidays together. 

Here's some of the best Christmas photos we've ran this year. We'd love to feature photos of your family's celebration, too. E-mail photos and captions to rachel.heaton@patch.com, or add them onto the slideshow directly—just click "Add" under the photos.