The Magic of Christmas

When I was growing up, Christmas was my favorite time of year. I have always loved everything about this holiday: the food, the crazy family, the decorations, the holiday movies. I loved coming home and seeing the tree all lit up, the smell of cookies baking while holiday music played in the background. I loved decorating the fifty gazillion Christmas cookies Mom baked with White Christmas flickering on the television. Most days you could have taken a picture of our home and family and it would have looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Then I became the Mom. Suddenly choosing the traditions I wished to continue became much more important. Creating a new tradition or two was also a priority. Is a visit to Santa at the mall more important than decorating cookies? Is it imperative that the picture on the Christmas card be festive, or could it just be a cute picture from earlier in the year? Do I really want to make the cute calendar of the kids for all the family members each year? Do I want the Christmas letter to be a funny representation of our year or more of a play-by-play? With so many choices, it is easy to get overwhelmed.

As a kid I had no idea all that the picture perfect Christmas entailed. I had no idea that from Thanksgiving forward Christmas was an extra two hours of work each day. I didn't know there would be years I would not decorate at all (when Sweet Pea was almost 2 and I was pregnant with Panda Girl ) due to being out of town for the actual holiday. I had no idea we would be participating in a new and wonderful tradition involving an elf and a shelf (sadly, our elf has gone missing this morning - he is probably buried under the mound of junk on the floor somewhere, ahem). I had no idea that I would rather stand outside naked than take the girls Christmas shopping alone. I certainly didn't understand the extent of parents' exhaustion during these weeks leading up to the big day.

While this time of year can drive a mom nuts, I also have a better understanding of the magic of Christmas. I loved Panda Girl's first Christmas last year. Surprisingly she was very animated and interested while we opened gifts. She was charming and cute. I am loving Sweet Pea's adorable anticipation this year. Since this is her fourth Christmas, she knows the drill. She is beside herself with excitement. She is loving watching her cute holiday shows on TV. She has been loving Christmas carols, she was singing them in the shower the other day. It was so sweet. Thus, while I never truly appreciated the work that this holiday can bring, I also never understood the deep joy that comes from Christmas either. The little ladies have brought that to me in a way no one else ever could. Thus, this is still my favorite time of year. I just need to use lots of caffeine to stay awake and enjoy it.