It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I am fairly certain that some people I know think I am slightly insane (and perhaps even a little cruel) to have made my child sit on Santa's lap every Christmas since the year she was born. There is a strong line of tradition in this event, though, and it makes my heart smile as I collect these photos of my little one.

There was nothing better during those years in Oregon, living just across the street and over a grassy field from the elementary school. Those last days of school in December, leading up to Christmas, are still quite vivid in my mind -- holiday crafts and treats, classroom decorations, and that antsy feeling that Christmas was right around the corner. And then there was the last day before Christmas break. As soon as school let out, my little brother and I would run across that field, knowing our mom was busy at home, pulling out the Christmas decorations. I suspect she would spot us out the window, galloping across the street, and would then cue "School is Out for the Holidays" on the record player that sat in the huge, wooden console whose home was in our dining room throughout my childhood. The song would be cheering loudly as we burst through the door, full of excitement, and my mom would greet us with a huge grin and hug to match. Christmas break had begun.

Among those boxes of decorations was a growing collection of photos of me and my brother, smiling, pouting, crying, and laughing on the lap of Santa after Santa. Not only was there the excitement of actually going to see Santa each year, but this collection of photos also continued to grow more and more dear to me. And it still does. My mom continues to place each photo on the living room shelves every Christmas, and I continue to love looking over each one (including a favorite of her and her little brother) when we are there visiting over the holidays. I remember planned Santa outings, with Billy and I in our dressy outfits, that would include a ride on a train on the top-most level of a Meier & Frank department store in Downtown Portland and a cup of chocolate so hot that it burned my tongue. And I remember the random Santa encounters, us just in blue jeans and sweatshirts, because we were so excited to spot Santa seated on his throne while out on a shopping trip with Mom. Now we are all grown up, and that department store train no longer exists, but the memories still hold strong in my mind.

And now I get to continue the tradition with Elsa. Last year she was excited about the Christmas tree and lights. She started speaking her first two words over the holidays last year -- "up" and "off" -- and the word "off" emerged because of the lights strung on the tree and the front porch. She used it to happily exclaim that the lights were either off or on. Her excitement has multiplied by about a hundred times this year, though. Now that her vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds, and she can run around with bursts of excited energy, she talks nonstop about our Christmas tree and the "shiny ornaments" and "white star" and all the lights, and she points to each stocking and names whose is whose. And she was super excited to see Santa Claus today.

My Christmas-ornament-loving mom has started the tradition of giving Elsa an ornament every year -- this year's features Curious George, much to Elsa's delight.

Daddy took a long lunch and met us at the mall. We were lucky to get there at just the right time, with only one little boy ahead of us in line. Elsa could hardly contain herself. She was ready to run up to Santa right away (and was also quite excited about the huge tree set up behind and above him). There were a few tears shed at our visit last year, but none this year to speak of. She was a little shy in telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas, even though we had practiced beforehand ("Legos!"), but she did answer his questions with a "yes" or "okay," and enjoyed waving to him and catching his blown kisses as we left. And now I have this to add to our collection:

Ready to see Santa:

We have also started the tradition of riding Macy's Pink Pig every year. Elsa was extremely excited to watch the train round its track as we stood in line. Really, what better combination could there be for this girl than a pig and a train? She was in heaven. Until it was her turn to ride. Then she melted into a pool of trepidation. She wanted to sit on Daddy's lap, but that was not allowed. There were a few tears as we buckled her in beside Jarrett, but once we started around the track, she was happy and wide-eyed with all the music and pink-tinged piggy sights.

Funny, considering the complete innocence of this ride.

Really, there is nothing like living Christmas through the eyes of a child. I still hold my childhood memories dear, as the tune of "School is Out for the Holidays" dances around in my head, but this is the best start to a Christmas season yet.