I've been wondering why I like all this fun Christmas hype. I'm more of a traditional Christmas girl with the focus on the birth of Jesus (and I don't mind the extra family time), but in recent years I've enjoyed the festive activities. Parades, window displays, tacky Christmas lights, etc draw me in. I know a huge part of it is how much my children enjoy it. I think that I like it for another reason as well: the old fashioned community aspect of it all.
All the things that we've enjoyed have not been solitary isolated occasions at home. We're enjoying things that strangers created for others enjoyed. For example, tonight we did our downtown Christmas routine: Lupi's, bus ride, window display. While we were walking downtown the kids noticed a Christmas tree on top of a crane. Workers just put it up there for other people to see and enjoy. This time of year just breeds that type of festivity. Today at Walmart I asked a stranger to go one isle over and get two rubber ducks for the kids' stockings and sneak them into my buggy while I distracted Fern. Mom-mission-accomplished.
I enjoy Christmas-time like I do most everything in my life: with other people. With all the other people, Christmas window displays are becoming a favorite for me.
It's so retro and full and great. Aside from the other people, I like my little people the best. I can't get over their little toddler wonder. Just for the record, Fern said her favorite part was riding the bus. I think Burl loves it just as much too, especially because he can't get over the fact that they don't have seat belts. Maybe we should take more bus rides.
When I was setting up the whole self-timer trick, a family walked by and the mother offered her preteen son as a photographer. Christmas cheer right there. He guaranteed me that he was an "official real photographer" and he got us in focus, so bless him and his enthusiasm.
The whole night, this whole season is a treat for me.
