... the sun was setting, the world was dimming, and the twinkly lights of Christmas started to shimmer around our neighborhood. Then, and there, the immersion started.
Those are Christmas lights, Mary - aren't they pretty?
Christmas. Pretty. Pretty Christmas. Lights.
And day after day, the neighborhood didn't disappoint. By last weekend, almost every house had illuminated their signature light display, Christmas trees gleamed through frosty windows, planters were overflowing with expensive evergreen displays, and my toddler discovered the only thing scarier than the ghosts on our block - Santa. Day by day, Mary has been decoding new associations with America's favorite holiday.
See the tree in our neighbor's window.
Christmas!
Want to sit down and let the nice elf paint something on your hand?
Want to ride the train to the North Pole.
Mary rides train. Choo choo. Train. More. More. More. More. Christmas.
Wreaths.
Christmas.
Jingle Bells.
Christmas.
Santa.
Scared. Crying. Christmas.
On Saturday night, as we were getting into the holiday spirit and out of Dora's world with a little Charlie Brown, I had a moment of panic. As Linus eloquently recited the story of Christ's birth to remind the Peanuts what Christmas was all about, I realized that I too had gone commercial. I was teaching Mary about Christmas in the exact way I didn't want.
When you have children, the magic of Christmas is enhanced; all the glitter and gold shines a little brighter; the parties are more festive; the songs are sweeter; the cartoons are cuter; and you can almost hear the prancing of paws on the rooftop again. In the 24 days in December leading up to the big one, you want to cram every childhood memory you had into your toddlers experience set. And you can easily lose sight of why we are celebrating in the first place.
But just as quickly as you can derail, you can get back on track. And I think this train is headed the right direction again.
Lo.
At Church the next day, I made an extra effort to tell her about Advent; I pointed up to the star that my parish projects onto its domed ceiling all season long and told her about the shepherds and wise men who followed it to find baby Jesus. She looked up, arched her back, and peered straight up to the faux sky.
'Christmas,' she said.
Yes, Christmas!!
I was overjoyed.
I was overjoyed.
When you have children, the magic of Christmas is enhanced; all the glitter and gold shines a little brighter; the parties are more festive; the songs are sweeter; the cartoons are cuter; and you can almost hear the prancing of paws on the rooftop again. In the 24 days in December leading up to the big one, you want to cram every childhood memory you had into your toddlers experience set. And you can easily lose sight of why we are celebrating in the first place.
But just as quickly as you can derail, you can get back on track. And I think this train is headed the right direction again.
Lo.
No comments:
Post a Comment