I am a Christmas freak. I love the whole holiday season, starting from the beginning of October to the end of December. Mr. Cereal is similar with his overall love of the season, so we were really matched well when it came to the holidays. We are the people on our street who have the house completely covered in lights, complete with a plywood Santa and reindeer. The inside of our house is also decorated all over and I always thought that when I had kids, it would be so much more fun than it already was. And I was totally right.
I grew up in a non-religious household. I attended a church service maybe 4 times prior to college, and two of those instances were in relation to a grandparent’s death. Mr. Cereal was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools until college. Our religious upbringings were as different as can be but when we came together to form our family, he and I were really on the same page as far as how we wanted to address our approach to religion. We believe in what we believe in, but the most important thing for us is that we are good people and that we contribute to society in a positive way. For us, this works and I will encourage my children to find a belief that works for them and not necessarily to follow in our footsteps.
However, when it comes to Christmas and the holiday season, we are all about the spirit of believing and that includes Santa Claus. I loved Santa growing up. It wasn’t about the gifts for me; it was about the magic and the spirit of the season. I loved the feeling of Christmastime, the joy and happiness and the beautiful surroundings. My parents were big on Santa and that made it so much fun! I especially loved the cooking and the family traditions we did during this time of year, and I remember these activities distinctly. Mr. Cereal also had Santa Claus and his parents instilled similar magic into the season as mine did, so when we came together, we both had a pretty good idea of how we would celebrate Christmas with our children.
Last year, LeLe was too little to really know what was going on, but this year is a different story. She is excited about the decorations and the music and the movies and just about all of it. She is amazed by the lights on the house and she loves the activities we are doing now. It is important to me that she feels the spirit of this time of year and we are doing our best to bolster that spirit by going to various events in our community that celebrate Christmas.
I want both of my kids to feel the magic of the season and to look forward to it as much as I did growing up. I want them to get excited about Santa Claus and the North Pole and all the other fun things that come along with Christmas. They are only little once and not for very long so I am really embracing the magic and spirit of the holidays. I want them to feel joy and excitement and most importantly, I want them to keep that spirit alive so they can share it with their own kids someday.
cherry / 196 posts
That dog is awesome! Your post is so happy and upbeat about the holiday season and then you get to the bottom of the post and there’s your dog going, “yeah, it’s Christmas. Whoopty-doo.” Hilarious!
Christmas is also my favorite holiday. But with a 6 month baby and 3 year old, I honestly don’t have the energy to get all that into it. We drove to the woods last weekend and chopped down a tree, which is now fully decorated and beautiful in our living room, but I think that’s all the decorating I’m doing. My husband put some lights up outside, and if any other decorations go up in our house it’s because he did it. I liked this post!
blogger / kiwi / 626 posts
@DenverMom: Haha, that’s Mason my basset hound. He passed away last year and this was pretty much his attitude all the time. Best dog ever though!
I totally understand the struggle to have enough time to get things decorated. I had to set aside an hour to get the inside all decorated and Mr. Cereal does the whole outside. I secretly think he does it so he can be outside with no other responsibilities for a whole day…
cherry / 196 posts
@Mrs.Cereal: Oh my God, I was mad at my husband all summer long whenever he mowed the grass, worked on fixing the sprinklers, and pulled weeds from the garden. I totally felt like it was simply his attempt to get outside and not have to watch the kids. I know it’s ridiculous, but I made him mow the grass one time with our then 2.5 year old strapped to him in a backpack.
I’m sorry to hear about your dog passing. We had to put our 15 year old cat down last month and I was bawling for about a week. Losing pets is so hard!