The happiness of the holidays

I’ve been looking forward to the holidays for a while now. Our boys are at the age when everything is exhilarating and awe inspiring. They’ve both experienced at least one Christmas, but the memories of it have long since faded. So this year, everything will be fresh, exciting and new.

The boys have been enjoying looking at Christmas lights for several weeks now. We drive around town and each of them gets excited when the lights can be seen out “My side!” of the car window. Brisco calls them "Pissy Heights," but we know what he's saying, and he absolutely knows what he’s seeing.

We don't have a tree yet, but I’ve hung lights up in the living room, and that seems to be good enough for now. I'm pretty sure they don’t have the self control to keep from unwrapping any presents I might put out, so I may save myself the hassle of screaming at them every 10 minutes and just leave them for Santa to bring.

Speaking of Santa, both the boys seem to have a phobia of the old man in red. We’ve tried a couple of times to go sit on Santa’s lap, but the kids freeze up. They hide behind my legs and under my arms-anywhere to get out of Santa’s sight. They’ve got a real, live case of the scaredy-Claus.

We made a trip to K-Mart on Saturday and who should we see sitting in the aisle but ole Saint Nick himself. The boys both started to duck and cover, but this Santa was a pro. He had a bowl of candy sitting beside him, and he told the boys if they would come and sit on his lap they could have some. All Brisco had to hear was the word candy and he was ready to go, just for the chance at one little nibble…so much for the ole “don’t take candy from strange men” mantra. Needless to say, we now have pictures of both of the boys sitting on Santa’s lap, while he entices them with a big, blue bowl of candy. Priceless.

They both like the idea of Rudolph and the elves and all the other reindeer. We’ve watched the old Burl Ives version of Rudolph, and we are still trying to catch Frosty the Snowman. They don’t know there’s something called animatronics or computer animation or high definition television that can make Santa and his sleigh look as if it is coming right out of our set and into our living room. They are perfectly satisfied with seeing Christmas the same way we did as kids.

They don't really understand that there are presents coming either, but they will soon enough. These early years are the best, when kids are excited just to tear off the paper and play with the box. I remember one Christmas when my now-grown cousin opened every present with the exact same enthusiasm an adult would have shown after winning the lottery. “Look, Mom!! It’s socks!!” Top of the lungs; huge smile; proud as you please. Next year that same cousin will celebrate Christmas with his new baby, and the joy of the season will continue.

I look forward to the next few weeks as a time to share the exciting “firsts” of the holidays with our boys. After all, there are only so many things that can become truly new once children reach a certain age.

The happiness that comes with the holiday season is the tradition I hope the boys will remember most. It starts with the people we love and hold dear. It reaches far beyond presents and postcards and pictures of Santa. Yes, the happiness of the holidays is our most important Christmas first, and the one I hope my children will treasure.

Happy Holidays