Everything Christmas

I remember being so excited to set up the Christmas tree when I was a kid.  And much to my dismay we were probably the last people to get around to buying a tree and setting it up!  Often we just had to wait until my Dad was home from being on the road to get the tree inside and into the flimsy stand.  Then it was agony waiting for it to thaw enough to start decorating!!  I remember digging through the box of old Christmas decorations we hadn’t seen in a whole year!  Some were homemade; (they seem to have disappeared from my Moms collection now??)  some were those balls with the miles of thread wrapped around and if it snagged it didn’t look so pretty anymore and then the fewer nicer ornaments that were probably gifts.   But I remember that feeling of maybe what some may call, the Christmas spirit.  As time went on and I grew older this feeling faded.  Even my first Christmas married I was so excited that I could decide when to put up our tree…I think it when up not too long after Halloween!  But Christmas wasn’t the same – there is something about kids and Christmas.

Richard and I began to see that in Brooklynn this year.  When we pulled out the tree and all the decorations she was so taken back by the beauty.  And believe me our tree is not much to look at!  But she was just in awe of the beauty of all the cheap ornaments, garland and dollar store decorations.  She has redecorated the bottom half of our tree many times in the last 2 weeks because it so fun for her.  Every where we go she is amazed by the lights, Santa and reindeer decorations, the Nativity scenes, candy canes and any thing Christmas.  Brooklynn tells me every few days, “Mommy its going to be Christmas soon.”  We have even been practicing singing Happy Birthday to Jesus about 5 times a day. (I light candles to blow out for an after potty reward and before they can be blown out I must sing along!) Thanks to all the commercials on a new kids channel (treehouse doesn”t have too many commercials) she is learning to tell us what she wants for Christmas.  When we made a list for Grandma she knew exactly what to put on it, anything princess!  So we now have our work cut out to make sure in Christmas to come to be teaching our kids the true meaning and reason to Celebrate!  Its hard to compete with the worldly reasons of course, which of course are not all bad.  But we want to instill in our kids how to give generously to others and be thankful to God for sending his son as a baby.  All this said it warms my heart to see my daughter laugh and smile at every thing Christmas; from lights, to candy canes; from Santa and his reindeer to her asking to sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus just one more time.

Carma