Holiday Spirit

          I remember as a kid this time of year having so much magic. I specifically remember caroling in the car, listening to the Alabama Christmas cassette nonstop at home, decorating the house, baking cookies with mom, and several other things I won’t bore you with. Holidays have always been something that my mother strived to make special for us, and I’m having a hard time trying to pass that same enthusiasm down to my boys. It doesn’t help that, in my current profession, Christmas is a complete pain the butt, but there are still things I could get pumped up about.

          I haven’t wholly followed the path of the Grinch yet, I’ve done a good portion of my shopping which I am thoroughly enjoying this year. It makes a difference when you’re shopping for someone and it’s not crunch time yet. This is going to be a fun year for the holidays, especially with Grayson.

          I need to suck it up and find some holiday cheer so I can show G and J, like my mother showed me, how truly special and fun this time of year can be. It’s important to me that these boys are filled with the joy and the magic of Christmas every year and I certainly don’t want my negative, retail-induced bad attitude to bring them down. I know how important the mythology and the fun of Christmas was to me as a child, and I can’t let myself rob them of those feelings. Thinking back now, I know that there is no way that mom was always as enthusiastic and jolly about the holiday season as she came off to us, but I appreciate the effort to make things special. That’s what’s expected of parents.

          I took the first step yesterday and bought a large copy of “The Night Before Christmas” and Grayson and I read it before bed last night. It was fun and made me feel good when he asked me for more Christmas books. The excitement on his face was plain to see, and I was left feeling a bit bad because that’s the only Christmas book we own, but the effort was made on my part and it resulted in the huge reward of a happy three year old. That’s what this season is all about.