Because that's usually my luck...
The Christmas season is a big deal in my household. We go all out. Every doorway is framed with colored lights entangled in green garland, Santa and Snowman knicknacks are scattered throughout, Christmas music is on repeat, and my 7 ft tree towers over my Christmas village. My two year old son grabs everyone who saunters through our door and shows off every detail of the decorations... I could remember my daughter doing that exact gesture when she was his age.
Funny how time flies...
Immediately after Thanksgiving, my daughter jumps into the Christmas spirit. She couldn't wait to get our tree up and decorate the village. My son was also excited, but I don't think he really knew what for. When I finally colorized the tree branches into their correct slots (I started using a fake tree since my daughter was born, out of convenience however, I'm thinking next year we'll go back to a real one), and draped the tree with strands upon strands of multicolored lights. Then, it was time to open the ornament container.
My daughter shrieked when it was time...
When I popped the lid off and said, "put any ornament anywhere you would like," I wasn't sure who was more excited. My son stood over the bin, in complete aw, while my daughter immediately started grabbing various ornaments.
He occasionally shrieked when he saw a car ornament or some other ornament he liked.
I don't have a themed tree. My tree is eclectic, containing various ornaments of shapes, colors, and characters. I still have ornaments from when I was a baby, child, and teenager. Now, I have ornaments from every year my children have celebrated Christmas.
This isn't just a Christmas tree, it's a tree full of lifetime memories.
My children finished the tree (I, of course, decorated the top half). My daughter took her time and strategically placed each ornament in a spot of her choosing, after much thought. My son screamed with excitement after he was finally able to hang an ornament on a branch. Sister gave him a big hug and said, "I knew you could do it brother!"
Sometimes, I cannot believe I have created such amazing human beings... They have the ability to make my heart smile.
After the tree was complete, my daughter and I decorated the village while my son napped. I use a 6 ft piece of plywood that I painted white. I have about 20 houses, with about 5 or 6 decorative pieces, various amounts of trees, signs, and countless people. My Christmas tree was actually my grandmother's, the village was my mom's, and the people are compiled from both my mom and grandma -One day, this set will all be my kids.
My daughter was very meticulous with the arrangement of the village. She wanted each piece to correlate and make sense within the community. I arranged the trees to hid wires and add depth, but she did everything else. I couldn't believe the amount of attention to detail she displayed while completing this project. She reminded me of my grandma, my mom, and myself. All of us made sure Christmas was done huge, down to the last detail.
My son awoke from his nap, sat in front of the tree with amazement as he asked questions about each piece. Big sister was right there to tell him what each building was and to answer anything he communicated.
I sat on the couch behind them, watching big sister with her arm stretched around little brother's shoulders. She eagerly awaited the next question he would ask and couldn't wait to provide an answer. My son occasionally pointed up to the tree, stating how proud he was of the ornaments he put on the tree and loved the set up.
They both sat there in silence for at least 5 minutes...
Last year, my son was only 11.5 months old for Christmas, so he really didn't participate too much with it. He enjoyed gazing at the lights and occasionally causing ruckous with the decorations. My daughter has always loved the holiday and helped out with decorations, but this was the first year where she was able to do a task on her own without assistance.
She was able to add her own creative input on designs.
Each year, holidays become more and more magical. I love that both of my children are very involved. With each year, they're able to enjoy more in depth aspects of Christmas. Also, they are able to understand our traditions, instead of just participating in them.
This is only the start of the season, but with each passing day, the excitement and anticipation builds, and I'm the lucky one who gets to bask in the wondrous magic of Christmas with them.
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