Oh! The Joys of Christmas! It's a wonderful time, a magical time and, much too often, a really stressful time. Providing the perfect morning of gifts, followed closely by the even more perfect afternoon of guests and treats and delicious-ness from the kitchen...it's sometimes a bit much. More than one Christmas has ended in tears or anger or, simple crankiness...but we always come back to it the next year. The next year! You know...the one that will really be perfect and the kids will get exactly what they want and they will be thrilled by what they wanted and dinner will be perfect and no one will melt down. Especially me...
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and right after that Santa will be whooshing down upon Village Square. Christmas catalogs have been arriving for a couple of weeks now, which can only mean that my children are well into writing and re-writing their Christmas lists.
Denise decided fairly early (last May to be exact) that she wanted Walkie-Talkies for Christmas, and she has held firmly to that plan. 'All I want is Walkie-Talkies,' she repeats. 'That's all.'
But, the two little girls are a bit different. For one thing, they began their list much earlier than Denise. It was about December 26th of last year when they listed their first "want." Their lists are also much longer than Denise's, and they change their minds much more often.
At least once every couple of days, they choose one catalog each, find some paper, study that catalog page by page by page, and weigh the pros and cons of each item. Once a decision is made, they painstakingly copy all the words about that item--which has now become their heart's desire.
I've seen the list grow from 'Sweet April.' 'That's all I want, Mommy. A Sweet April baby doll...' to a 38 inch Raggedy Ann doll, a Horton the Elephant large enough to sit upon, and a fully-equipped, nearly adult-sized kitchen, that includes recirculating running water. All of this takes slightly less than half an hour.
Then, while I'm figuring out where in this increasingly tiny house we would put a 38 inch Raggedy Ann doll, or a Horton the Elephant, or a toy kitchen that is better equipped than mine...the list changes.
'A Ventriloquist Doll, Mommy. That's all I want--A Danny O'Day Ventriloquist Doll.'
'You do know you have to do the talking for Danny. Right?' I ask.
'Yeah, I know. But that's what I want. A ventriloquist doll.'
While I'm wondering whether either Santa or our incredible lack of storage space could actually handle a Danny O'Day ventriloquist doll, the list changes. Again. Or, more correctly, the list is enlarged. A life-size Cat in the Hat is added, along with a Gnip Gnop game, some Barbie clothes and a doll house.
All of this time Denise continues to wish for her Walkie-Talkies. But, this afternoon I'm beginning to notice some not-so-subtle comments like: 'Did you see Marla's jeans with the elephant ear legs?'
'Yeah, I saw them.'
'Are you sure you saw them?'
'Yeah, I'm sure I saw them.'
'I sure like them...don't you?' 'And, you know I'd be wearing my watch to school, except the band is about worn out and I'm afraid I might lose it.'
Yes, Denise is much more subtle, but in the end her list will be just as long.
Yesterday, my two little ones announced a new plan of action. They are not making any more lists for Santa Claus. Since everyone knows that Santa carries so many toys on that sleigh of his, with the overflow sometimes even spilling out, they will make their list immediately before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. They'll leave the note with the milk and cookies.
No amount of begging or threatening has persuaded them to release their secrets. It's a pact between them and Santa. Just them and Santa. No one else. And, wouldn't you know, Henry Kissinger* is tied up in Paris Peace Talk right now and can't help me, so I may actually have no idea what they want until 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Which is obviously way too late. Which means that the Spirit of Christmas, with all of its glitter and sparkle, has escaped me right now. Good night...
*Henry Kissinger: National Security Adviser under Richard Nixon, then appointed Secretary of State in 1973.
During the time of our little story, Kissinger was meeting in Paris with dignitaries from both South Vietnam and North Vietnam, trying to bring peace to the infamous Vietnam war. Kissinger delivered Richard Nixon's ultimatum to the North Vietnamese demanding an end to their fighting. The North Vietnamese refused and Nixon began the Christmas bombing of North Vietnam. We dropped 20,000 tons of bombs during that time...including targeted sites very close to the prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain was being held. His father had approved the strikes while knowing his son might be killed. The McCain's are from tough stock. On December 28, 1972, the North Vietnamese agreed to Nixon's conditions and reopened the negotiations. It's just my little history lesson for today. Just so you remember what you lived through!
June 5, 2020
June 5, 2020
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