Christmas magic begins to wane as kids grow up
Years ago, Christmas was a big event at our house. The boys
would talk of nothing else for weeks, and I would be peppered with
questions about when Santa was coming, and what sort of cookies we
should leave out for him. There would be endless discussion of what
wonders Christmas morning would reveal beneath the tree.
Christmas magic begins to wane as kids grow up
Years ago, Christmas was a big event at our house. The boys would talk of nothing else for weeks, and I would be peppered with questions about when Santa was coming, and what sort of cookies we should leave out for him. There would be endless discussion of what wonders Christmas morning would reveal beneath the tree.
And I, like a good mom, decked the halls with all kinds of stuff – garlands, snow globes, holiday items that gave forth music or talked or made noise. I spent a lot of time decorating and making the house look festive.
Cutting down the Christmas tree was a big deal. My sons used to fight over who got to carry the saw, and when they were a little bit older, they actually got to cut down the tree at the choose ‘n’ cut farm.
Ah, those were the days.
Christmas is a whole different kettle of fish in the year 2010.
It’s been hard to even get them to reveal what they want for Christmas, let alone see them get excited about it.
“Um … I don’t know,” said Hunter, the 17-year-old, when I asked him what he wanted. “Let me think about it,” said Ross, the 20-year-old. “Maybe a videogame.”
Back a few years ago, I was absolutely shocked when they stopped getting up early on Christmas morning. Once they became teenagers, the whole Christmas morning experience became pretty passe. Now, they sleep until noon and then open presents.
As for decorating the house, I’m doing less and less, mostly because the boys aren’t enchanted with all the little holiday items the way they used to be. Also, they show very little inclination to actually help with any of it.
Although Hunter did surprise me the other night by putting a few ornaments on the tree, without being asked to do so.
Christmas has turned into my thing, instead of my children’s thing. I go to the choose ‘n’ cut Christmas tree farm with the dog and cut down the tree myself; I put it up in the stand – an operation that I can only complete with a few choice words – and I decorate it, mostly by myself.
I’ve cut back on the rest of the Christmas decorations for the house as well. Now, instead of looking like an explosion in the holiday aisle, the house has a more grownup and restrained look to it.
I’ve given away some of the old items the boys used to like, although I did get in big trouble over one particular thing.
We had an animated Christmas tree. It looked like an ordinary small fake Christmas tree until you got near it (it was sound-activated). Then its big eyes would open and a mouth would move, saying, “Hi! I’m Douglas Fir!” and so on.
The thing used to scare the bejeebers out of me because I would forget it was there, and then it would just abruptly come on when I walked by it. This wasn’t so bad during the day, but just imagine doing that in the dark, on your way to the refrigerator for a glass of milk.
Anyway, it had been a gift from someone or other, and it seemed kind of tacky, so a few Christmases ago, I put it in the Goodwill donation box.
Last year, the boys noticed it was gone.
“What happened to Douglas Fir?” they wailed.
They did get over it in time, although I don’t think they’ve quite forgiven me.
Yes, that’s the problem with Christmas things. You don’t dare get rid of any of them, because someone in the house will miss them.
Eventually.
