At some point in the past 10 years I started viewing holidays through jade-colored glasses. I’m not sure how or when this happened, but I believe it was a slow progression brought on by marriage and having twice as much family to contend with. When it comes down to it, I tend to have a good time wherever we spend the holidays, but the stress of thinking about all of the running around does me in beforehand.
But, then there are days like today…Last Christmas, Jacob was bemoaning the fact that he didn’t have a Christmas tree for his bedroom. My father caught wind of this and picked him up a little artificial tree after the holidays. This morning, Brian and Jacob picked out and cut down our tree. While we were putting it up, I suggested that he decorate his tree. We got it all set up on a table, put on the lights, and he came out to the living room periodically and picked the ornaments he wanted to hang on his tree. On one of his trips, he exclaimed, “This is the best day of my life!” This even made me, the jaded holiday queen, smile (for more than a few minutes at that). Just wait till Christmas, kiddo. I guess this is one of the benefits of having a child–they can make you remember how much and why you enjoyed the holidays in the first place.