Yes, our youngest wunderkind is three this Christmas. I’ve posted a lot about our daughter, but not as much about our son. His age this season means he understands all of the hullabaloo for the first time.
Santa is new–and has never come before in his memory. Trees are new. Presents are new–at least the Christmas version of presents. Every Christmas cookie is a new flavor to a three-year-old. Ours loves ginger bread cookies, and not just because they might jump off the plate and start running around the room.
Here are some other little gems my wife and I have noticed this season from our three-year-old.
You know you’re celebrating Christmas with a 3-year-old when…
- You find yourself saying, “It’s time to decorate Christmas cookies, stop chasing your sister with the vacuum.”
You splurge on a Lionel Train set to go around the tree because you’ve always wanted one and your three-year-old probably wants one, too.
- He thinks the naughty list sounds like more fun, but finally decides, “I’ll be on both lists, Daddy.”
- He watches this video of our “family snowball fight” on JibJab (HT: Steve McCoy) and thinks he’s a movie star. Watch for the dog to shout through her nose.
- You attend a one-hour pre-school Christmas show so you can watch him on stage for three minutes. He pulls a Santa hat over his face and refuses to sing.
- You learn new Christmas songs like, “Darth Vader the black nosed bad guy.” Really.
- In the bath he puts bubbles on his face “just like Santa, Daddy.” Then he says, “Now I’m gonna eat my beard.”
- Every meal becomes a venue for performing the 12 Days of Christmas, and you understand why your own father banned all singing at the dinner table.
- At church he learns what Christmas is all about. But you’re pretty sure that Charlie Brown and Linus are good reinforcements. It’s hard to believe your three-year-old has never seen this little cartoon before!
He plays toddler Jesus and you wonder if God incarnate would have picked his own nose. Then you wonder if such a thought is somehow blasphemous. Then you cry a little bit, when Joseph lifts your son up on his shoulders and the wise men bow and the choir raise their hands and the music swells and you understand just a little more what it means when the Bible says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only son…”
Now, for those of you who need a Charlie Brown fix:
Update: My friend Mark D. Roberts had some kind words to say about this post this morning. Thanks, Mark! And a special welcome to the folks who clicked over from his site.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Lots of fun, Mark, thanks for sharing! And I know you have heard it before, but enjoy these years!
this had me rolling! hilarious!
Ray, if only I can keep remembering that. It’s hard sometimes in the thick of battle with a willful three year old. But mostly, it’s wonderful. Like watching Star Wars with him for the first time just a few weeks ago. Man, that was awesome.
Heather, it’s my little Christmas gift to you.
Oh! In our house, it’s Rudolph the Blue Nosed Elephant. Um, I don’t know. They aren’t 3, but they still make this stuff up!
And I should add that I hardly made it through that last paragraph (I read this post out loud to my kids). I love how you see the big things in these little moments.
L.L., thanks so much. You are a constant encouragement to me.
Marcus,
Kids bring such perspective to life, don’t they?
Merry Christmas!
Sally, they do when I’m open to it. It’s a constant struggle to remember to be fully present with my kids. Sometimes, I think I’m much better reflecting about our relationship than I am actually engaging them.
You made my Christmas season…many of these seem to fist very well in my own home… joyfully….
Have a Blessed Christmas Marcus
Marcus, I got to tell you i think that it was this particular blog that has made me realize that I think it is time for me to begin blogging. By the way, the video is amazing.
Thanks for dropping by, Chris!
Geez…here I leave a comment on an EDITING website with a glaring spelling error….”fist” in may comment above (#9) should say “fit”… Were you just being nice Marcus or did you miss my spelling error?
elizabeth, you made me smile.
Eric, in my mind there is a big difference between the overarching concept of editing and proofreading. (If you are interested, I talked about this in enough detail to make anyone nauseous in an old post about the 5 Kinds of Editors.)
All of that to say, I don’t consider comments on a blog to be writing formal enough to need serious proofing. It’s more like conversation–and well, you know how, um, unedited and like, stuff, our conversation can be, in general, I mean.