Christmas through their eyes
The older I get, the more I don’t seem to care for Christmas. It’s not like I don’t like shopping for gifts, wrapping them up (I’m a fantastic wrapper), and giving them to family and friends; I like doing that. My problem is that I don’t feel the spirit of the holiday like I used to when I was a child.
Of course, having two nieces changes all that.
**
Not long after arriving at my sister’s home, I’m quickly rushed into the family room to play doctor with my older niece, B. She received a Fisher Price set with the stethoscope, thermometer, etc. and she wanted me to be her victim… um, patient.
When I walk into the room, I’m astonished. Almost half the room is filled with presents. Thankfully, my sister doesn’t have another child because these presents would multiply two-fold.
B is surprisingly tame for a child who has a roomful of presents, waiting to be unwrapped. She pokes at the occasional box, but leaves it alone. She’d rather play with me (and use me as her pee pee person of choice), instead.
For the next hour, or so, we play with one another. Keeping her busy alleviates the pressure that my sister, BIL, mother and father would have to entertain her while they’re prepping the meal and taking care of my younger niece, S.
The family sits for lunch and there aren't any arguements over anything (not even if the turkey is dry, or not). After feeling my ass grow as I continuously eat, it’s time to open the presents. And, we do that, for over two hours.
While B opens her gifts, I sit down with S on my lap. She looks around, enjoying all of the movement of flying paper and colourful boxes. When she gets fussy, I feed her. She looks at me with dread in her eyes as if I'm going to take her bottle away. I don't, and she sucks it all in as if she hasn’t eaten in two hours (which is true).
B tends to put aside the presents that contain clothes (which makes sense) and goes after the toys. Her eyes light up whenever she opens another box that has something she can play with instead of something that will outgrow her in six months. Sadly, she doesn't pay much attention to the matching knit sweater/toque/scarf combo that took me countless hours of driving around several cities trying to buy.
By the middle of the second hour, I notice something interesting: both nieces are enthused with the gifts that (probably) cost the least in comparison with some of the more extravagant presents. S is enthralled with a musical toy that lights up, and B is making “pancakes” on the parquet floor using a Styrofoam/Play Doh concoction.
It takes me two seconds to open my gifts since there aren’t many of them. I didn’t ask for anything, so it makes perfect sense that I don’t get much. But, it doesn’t matter. If I want something, I buy it - I don’t need the 25th of December to do that.
This is a holiday for children and for those who enjoy getting caught up in the festivities of Christmas. For them, it’s like being a kid again, opening the presents in the morning while wearing pyjamas, and wanting to play with all of their new toys the second the wrapping comes off the box.
Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to have children any time soon. I'd rather just buy a tree and give presents to me because that would be a lot less stressful than raising kids who are bound to throw a temper tantrum and hate me when I don't get them what they want.
Of course, having two nieces changes all that.
**
Not long after arriving at my sister’s home, I’m quickly rushed into the family room to play doctor with my older niece, B. She received a Fisher Price set with the stethoscope, thermometer, etc. and she wanted me to be her victim… um, patient.
When I walk into the room, I’m astonished. Almost half the room is filled with presents. Thankfully, my sister doesn’t have another child because these presents would multiply two-fold.
B is surprisingly tame for a child who has a roomful of presents, waiting to be unwrapped. She pokes at the occasional box, but leaves it alone. She’d rather play with me (and use me as her pee pee person of choice), instead.
For the next hour, or so, we play with one another. Keeping her busy alleviates the pressure that my sister, BIL, mother and father would have to entertain her while they’re prepping the meal and taking care of my younger niece, S.
The family sits for lunch and there aren't any arguements over anything (not even if the turkey is dry, or not). After feeling my ass grow as I continuously eat, it’s time to open the presents. And, we do that, for over two hours.
While B opens her gifts, I sit down with S on my lap. She looks around, enjoying all of the movement of flying paper and colourful boxes. When she gets fussy, I feed her. She looks at me with dread in her eyes as if I'm going to take her bottle away. I don't, and she sucks it all in as if she hasn’t eaten in two hours (which is true).
B tends to put aside the presents that contain clothes (which makes sense) and goes after the toys. Her eyes light up whenever she opens another box that has something she can play with instead of something that will outgrow her in six months. Sadly, she doesn't pay much attention to the matching knit sweater/toque/scarf combo that took me countless hours of driving around several cities trying to buy.
By the middle of the second hour, I notice something interesting: both nieces are enthused with the gifts that (probably) cost the least in comparison with some of the more extravagant presents. S is enthralled with a musical toy that lights up, and B is making “pancakes” on the parquet floor using a Styrofoam/Play Doh concoction.
It takes me two seconds to open my gifts since there aren’t many of them. I didn’t ask for anything, so it makes perfect sense that I don’t get much. But, it doesn’t matter. If I want something, I buy it - I don’t need the 25th of December to do that.
This is a holiday for children and for those who enjoy getting caught up in the festivities of Christmas. For them, it’s like being a kid again, opening the presents in the morning while wearing pyjamas, and wanting to play with all of their new toys the second the wrapping comes off the box.
Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to have children any time soon. I'd rather just buy a tree and give presents to me because that would be a lot less stressful than raising kids who are bound to throw a temper tantrum and hate me when I don't get them what they want.
Authored by S at 12:00 am
2 Comments:
You actually buy a tree?
I don't even go that far.
But I did buy a few things for the family and a pretty nice gift for me, which of course I'll be paying for quite some time.
But ya only live once.
(1) You sound like you'd make a good father.
(2) Kids much prefer the large boxes to their contents. Go figure.
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