Thursday, November 16, 2006
Christmas is almost in the air...
I’m home alone. All by myself. Left to wander the hallways and contemplate my role in keeping them clean. Which I’m in no mood to do what so ever. If anyone needs the hallways clean, they are welcome to come here and sort through all these toys and shopping bags and hell knows what else. I gave up. At least for this week. Even though I subscribe to Fly Lady. Even though I purposely ignore up to 30 reminders from her per day. I just don’t see the point. I put the toys in the box, turn around, and they are back on the floor. I put the jackets in the closet, turn around, and they are back on the staircase. This house is haunted, I’m telling yah…
So anyways, as I said, I’m home alone and blogging in peace and quiet for a change. And my contemplations are inevitably drifting towards… Christmas! I have no idea why. Really. I haven’t cared about Christmas for years. Not that I ever did. We didn’t do Christmas back in Russia. We did New Years, which there served (and still does) as a combined holiday for Halloween, Christmas, and New Years. As in people got dressed in costumes, got gifts from our version of Santa (Grandpa Frost, we call him, yeah…) and got drunk all at the same time. So when I got here the whole Christmas hoopla just kinda went by me. Couldn’t bother.
Eventually I got used to it (it’s not so bad to get gifts almost a week in advance), but still didn’t feel anything special about it. New Years was always the big day for me. I have to meet it with my family around. I have to yell out the countdown. And lots of other “have to”s…
But something is different about this year. This year I’m thinking “Christmas” more and more… I’m thinking about Santa, and not Grandpa Frost. I want my tree up before December 25th, and not the 31st…
And if I really think about it, I actually know why. Cause this year it’s not about the commercialization and the other things that I never cared about. This year it’s about my son. Cause I am realistic. If I tell him about Grandpa Frost that comes on the New Years eve, kids in school (once he actually starts one) will *educate* the *stuff* out of him…
He needs a Santa. Cause Santa, whatever you call him, is all about childhood. It’s about the excitement, the gifts, the decorations… It’s about being happy and expecting something grand to happen, a miracle to drop down your chimney… And every child deserves a miracle. Even if he’s too young this year to fully grasp it, I want him to feel the holiday spirit in the air; I want him to sense that something amazing is happening… And that’s Christmas.
I'm gonna get more toys?
Mommy, you are the best!
And the surprising thing that is happening, is that I’m getting excited about it too. For the first time in years I’m not looking at it as a season when shopping is a nightmare, budget is stretched, and the gift list (or the creation of it) is a source of never-ending headaches. Instead, I’m thinking about what ornaments to put on the tree, the snowflake patters I’ll be cutting out, the cookies I could bake… I’m thinking about all those toys I could get for the kiddo (and yes, I’m even thinking about the “Tickle Me Elmo” and where the heck to get it, since no store around here seems to have one…just thinking… so don’t go all rowdy on me…).
(And it’s still November! Oh, God, I need a therapist!)
What a change can a baby make… They tell you kids change your life, but they never get too specific. They never tell you how you get to do all those things you loved again… How you can relive the best moments of your life through the eyes of your child. How the simple presence of a green poky tree in the window display can get you all giddy and silly and send you searching for the perfect snowy kitchen towel…
(yes, I bought it… but it was very reasonably priced…).
And with still over a month to go before the big day, I guess I’ll just have to talk some sense into that impatient reawakened child inside me, focus on that terrifying gift list, and eat store-bought cookies. And occasionally tell the kiddo things that are totally meaningless to him at this point, like: “eat your cereal, or Santa’ll skip our chimney”… And then mentally prepare myself for how next year I’ll probably have to explain the physics of Santa fitting down our chimney-less house…
But I'll save physics for next year... This year it will be magic only.
…
PS: And as for the dinner, since it was just me, I made the infamous mushroom soup again. Except this time I had enough potatoes…
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Christmas is almost there!! My weekends are now gonna get busy with loads of shopping to be done for my frens and family....jus donno from where to begin it all!!! If you are looking out for some cool and innovative stuff you can peep into my Holiday Blog!! I hope I dont dissapoint u!!
Vasilisa,
I despise the commercialization of Christmas too, but as I get older I realize that it really is for children -- the wonder -- the magic -- the homemade cookies -- egg nog and not being able to sleep on Christmas eve. There was something magical about those days. Something every child should experience.
And you get a bonus -- you'll have even more toys to pick up. :D
I am so very excited for Christmas! I'm not religious, and I am an adult with no children, but I still love the magic of the holidays! The snow, the trees, the lights, the music (in small doses) - I can't wait!
Ofcourse you had Potatoes!:D:D
For us Lisa, we have to go through Thanksgiving first before we are on to Christmas!
Oh yeah, Santa is ready and able to break into song and dance anytime after Thanksgiving:))He is staring at me everywhere already!
Kid is getting more toys and a sibling too?! No, is it too early?
Enjoy...
Thanks for reminding me about the need for miraculous things to happen in our children's lives! R. is going to be 7 next month, and I know she is on the fence about Santa -- is there really one? And if not, will I still get the toys?
But she is clinging to the fanatasy, and that's OK with me. She still loves the fantasy of princesses and fairies and unicorns, so why not the magic of Santa for at least one more year?
That was a really beautiful post!
Although, this part:
"If I tell him about Grandpa Frost that comes on the New Years eve, kids in school (once he actually starts one) will *educate* the *stuff* out of him…"
...was pretty hysterical, the way you phrased it. :)
These days, I always feel like I'm missing-out a little on the holidays, because we don't have children. But I guess it's something to look forward to in the future...
Beautiful post. Children really do change your perspective on just about everything.