So with a little Amy Grant Christmas album playing in the background and some perusing through winter photos from Wisconsin, I reminded myself of how much I love my parent's home around Christmas-time.
If you've ever grown up in a home with multiple siblings, then you probably know that a majority of the time is spent bickering. Whether it be over a borrowed clothing item or the last bit of Lucky Charms, there was always a reason to start something with my sisters. But somehow, someway, the two weeks leading up to Christmas were heavenly, fight-free and absolutely my favorite part of the year.
Because Mike, the kids and I have started a routine of traveling back only every other year, this last visit I found myself going the extra mile to enchant my kids with Christmas in the States. So often, our kids see us stressed out, exhausted and overwhelmed when we are in the States from the constant traveling, living out of suitcases and the many different beds we sleep in in a six week period. And this time around, I decided I really didn't want my kids to have a bad taste in their mouths for the country that is still their "home."
When a little blizzard flew through the village of Pewaukee, I would have much preferred to stay snuggled, drinking coffee, warming myself by my parents' electric fireplace. But I knew, this Christmas had to be different. And I have learned, in a very good way, that being a parent absolutely means forgoing a lot of your wants and desires to make special memories for your kids. So after what seemed like a half an hour of putting on snowsuits, gloves, hats, scarves and boots -- our family took to the outdoors for a little snow fun.
When I was a kid the most awesome part of our neighborhood was the amount of kids around who were so close in age. There was a little cul-de-sac right behind my house where the older kids would dig underground forts and snow blockades and we would have all out wars with snowballs. We would play past dark, completely forgetting how late it was until one of the Moms would yell out to us to go home. It was epic.
I wanted that for Landon and Emi so my Dad and I made a fort for the kids...and it was a complete failure. Not for lack of trying, or skilled construction or even execution; they just had no interest in it what-so-ever. I think Emi stepped in it once and said it was "cool" and then went about her business eating snow.
This was the first year that I really saw so much bonding between the kiddos and my Dad. Emi thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. The Christmas tree would be lit up, the fire place going and my Dad would be watching something on TV. Emi would walk into the room and just crawl into his lap. It seriously made my heart melt. If only she knew what an amazing Dad he was to me...and how special it was for me to see what an amazing Papa he is for her.
We stayed outside until the kids were shivering so bad that their teeth were chattering. We went inside and I conjured up some hot cocoa from ingredients that you might not normally use only because, in reality, my parents don't exactly make very much hot cocoa anymore. We flipped the switch on for a hot fire and watched "A Christmas Carol."
I had the same warm feelings that I did when I was a kid coming in from a long day of snowball fights with my friends. Only, it was that much more special to watch that same Christmas magic glimmer in my own kids' eyes.
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