Now that Christmas is over, I am slowly recovering from all the family parties, festive dinners, bubbly wine and opening presents.
This year was particularly special because my daughter recently turned two years old and is starting to understand that it’s Christmas and that Santa and his reindeer will pay a visit.
I ask her “What does Santa say?” and she replies “Ho ho ho!” It’s adorable that she is always on the lookout for Kris Kringle, with his signature white beard and red hat.
She is a bit scared of him, however. One evening, I told her that Santa will come down our chimney and leave her some presents and that we should put out some milk and cookies for him. She was terrified and, needless to say, our fireplace has been boarded up ever since.
A couple days later, we went to see Santa at the mall. She was so scared that the elves didn’t even want to take a photo with me holding her.
She screamed “no!” and wiggled out of my arms!
Even with all this excitement, her third Christmas was my favourite one yet. Decorating the Christmas tree, watching Home Alone part one and two, baking sugar cookies and reading books about Frosty the Snowman are the best parts of having a toddler at Christmastime.
She loved going to our family get-togethers and showed everyone that two-year-olds really can party, with a couple of naps on the couch along the way.
I remember being so excited on Christmas morning when I was a kid, waking up to open my stocking and rushing to beat my brothers downstairs to tear open our presents.
Crumbs would be left over from the cookies we left out and sometimes reindeer would leave tracks to the door. My brothers and I would, of course, get in a few fights but that was just part of the holiday season.
Next year, my daughter will understand even more about what’s going. I want her to love being around family, eating good food and opening presents from Santa and grandparents.
Having a child definitely changes they way Christmas is celebrated. The day is busier, more stressful and a lot more tiring, but experiencing the magic through their eyes definitely makes all the effort worth it.
