Adventures with Ellie: 8th Day of Christmas: Little kids at Christmas

It’s easy to get frazzled by all the things we (as parents) have going on around this time of year, especially when each trip out the door involves bundling up little ones. We can drive ourselves crazy with sports schedules, our own work, and an ever-growing list of school/church activities that we need to do. Throw in holiday parties, shopping lists, and that stinkin’ Elf on a Shelf, and it’s no wonder parents are absolutely crazy before we even get to Christmas morning. Speaking of that elf, I swore we’d never cave and start that tradition. But two years ago, both of our boys were in preschool and Kaleb’s class had an elf. Every day on the way to and from preschool, those boys sat in the back of the van and excitedly talked about where the elf might be today… or after school, what kind of silly place he hid. They lit up. They were talking so fast that they could barely catch their breath. I’d be greeted with, “Mom… MOM, guess what Larry did today?” and giggles. In those car rides, I came to a realization.

This time we have when Christmas is truly magical for our kids is so small. For our kids, they didn’t really get too excited until they were about three years old. I’m guessing that we only have maybe one more year of this magic with Lance. So really, by the time he’s eight (he’ll be seven next month), he’ll be on the other side of this magical age. Don’t get me wrong… Christmas will always be wonderful… but something about the excitement of little kids at Christmas is unlike anything else I’ve experienced.

I’m keeping this post short because this is so simple… but was a big realization for me. This time we have when innocent abounds and there is wonder in every drop of life… this magical window of childhood… it’s tiny in the grand scheme of things. I want to soak it all up. I want to live it to the fullest. Does that mean that our elf does elaborate shenanigans each day? Nope – the most exciting thing he’s done was hide in a stack of toilet paper with a sign that said, “Do you want to build a snowman”. I’m not saying you have to go over the top here… but if you like to, have at it. There is a tiny amount of time when they can’t wait to get up on Christmas morning and tear through wrapping paper… there is a tiny amount of time when they’ll stand proud (even without any front teeth) in front of church and belt out all the songs in their Christmas pageant. There are only a few years when they come home to practice the lines of their Rudolph play and Christmas songs with you. Kaleb wakes up each morning, climbs into my bed while I hit snooze, then pops up to my alarm to go find Luigi, our elf, before he goes to the bathroom. Sometimes our elf forgets to move – meh… whatever. It won’t be long before they think our family gingerbread house construction session is lame. It won’t be long before they stop making paper ornaments to hang all over the tree… or before they no longer bring home their cotton-haired Santas home from school and beg to hang them on the doors.

This time is small, folks… and if I’ve learned one thing about children these past seven years… it’s that every stage is fleeting. And while I’m guilty of wishing for the next phase (no more diapers… please) – I have to stop myself and remind myself that they’re only this little for a short time. While I’m not going to go overboard making every stinkin’ day magical… I can suck it up and do a few little things to keep the magic alive in our household. I have to say that I enjoy it more than they do – even if I hate the elf. So this Christmas, spend some time baking cookies, assembling a gingerbread house, driving around to look at lights, making hot cocoa, ice skating, or moving that crazy elf. I know time is tight… trust me… I know that full well. But the memories are forever. I’m not saying overbook yourself… that’s silly, too… but let them be little. And for the love of it all, share some of your pictures and ideas with me. I’m always amazed to see the things other people come up with. Soak it up, folks – either with your own kiddos, or with nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and friends. Enjoy a little extra innocence and magic this year!

And for any of you who have been following along - tonight is Ellie's capped sleep study. Please send some happy thoughts and prayers our way. This is a big deal... and we're hoping for great results. I don't know when things will change if it goes well, we'll wait and see. I'm just hoping for a wonderful night of sleep for Bug... I know better than to think that I'll sleep much at all... but it's all worth it.