As Christmas rounds the corner, I find myself officially on the other side of the Christmas magic. That doesn’t mean Christmas has no magic left. It simply means that after the Christmas magic dust has settled to the floor, I have to clean it up. With a broom. Because my three-year old shows the same amount of fear towards the vacuum as I would, if I opened my pantry and found an actual shark inside.
The side of Christmas I’m talking about is the day-to-day side: Hey, hey! It’s Christmas! Also, it’s Tuesday! Did you pay the utility bill?
I don’t know who wrote the Christmas carol: “Twelve Days of Christmas.” But, I’d be willing to bet both the giver and recipient were adults. Not just because a verse from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star doesn’t make a cameo, but because the gifts are actual gifts. Weird gifts, but gifts nonetheless. If the writer had been singing about gift giving from toddlers, then it’s easy to understand how day-to-day life ties into an adult’s Christmas.
For example:
On the twelfth day of Christmas my toddler gave to me,
12 Toilet flushes
11 Nuggets flying
10 “Why’s?” for nothing
9 Dirty diapers
8 Naps a skipping
7 Teeth a cutting
6 Fits a throwin’
5 Sticky things
4 Caillou reruns
3 Big kisses
2 Left shoes
And a carpet full of smashed peas.
Hey, giving is giving and that’s what Christmas is all about – our day-to-day giving and selfless acts. The love that every day offers and delivers in the form of friends, family and very sticky children.
Happy Holidays. From my sticky family to yours.
Christina is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Denver with her husband, two daughters and a cat who’ll never forgive her for having children. She writes regulary at: thereisnostork.com. Sometimes you can find her cleaning cracker crumbs and juice spills out of the fish tank at: raisinsandgoldfish.com
Author: Christina Antus
Amber Johnson
OK, this is pretty darn cute and fun.