Perfect Christmas?

I think, if anything, I love Christmas as an adult more than a kid. I like the preparing, I like the picking out gifts, I like the baking. Now I'm at a sort of cross-roads as I am the grown-up trying to make Christmas magical and fun for my little boy. So what would my 'perfect' Christmas be? Lots of my family, maybe at my auntie's house hanging out, a yummy full dinner with all the trimmings (bar the traditional one sprout my family tries to hide on my plate somewhere each year), swapping presents, carols playing in the background, Toby opening presents, me getting a new cool video game and spending the evening with my brother and husband breaking it in (please can we have the wii back by then, Nintendo?)

This year I hope to take Toby to the crib service I went to as a child at my local church back home because at least one of the reasons we celebrate Christmas is the Christmas story and I'd like Toby to grow up understanding some of the symbolism in so much of our literature, art and poetry. That and the crib service is very cute. Toddlers kneeling to kiss the baby Jesus and singing 'Away in a manger'.

I'm softening my stance on Santa these days. Before I had Toby I figured I wouldn't go for the whole 'Santa' thing as I'm not big on a) lying to children b) I hate and detest it when Christmas is used as a threat against bad behaviour c) why do we encourage kids to sit an old strange man's knee again? BUT I can see that Santa is another part of the mythology of Christmas just like the nativity - they make cards and write letters to Santa at nursery, he's always included in kids' tv programmes, it is all pretty inescapable. I've got a year or so to suss out what might be a good line to take but I can see I'll be spoiling it for everyone if I tell Toby he doesn't exist! Santa might be visiting us for a couple of years yet.

Comments

[Karen]

I'm right there with you on the santa thing - Pete doesn't want to lie; I don't want to encourage consumer blah; but also I don't want to spoil the magic. What a dilemman.