He's Here!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Lauren
Here it is a month later (see Guess Who's Coming) and it's official. Lauren and I were at the mall over the last weekend and in her words, "We saw Santa's workshop!". She kept repeating that all night long. I explained to her about sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what she wants for Christmas. She said she didn't know what she would tell him, but after a few minutes she came up with dominoes and a "checkergame".

Since that day, she has mentioned numerous times that she is a bit nervous about visiting with Santa. She continually asks if other kids are nervous. I reassure her that there are many kids who are nervous and it's OK to be nervous. She can still talk to Santa even if she's nervous. I can picture our trip now. We get to the mall along with a billion other families, wait in line for hours along with hundreds of other families, finally walk through the maze...and she won't go sit on his lap.

But it won't matter. It won't matter because this is the first Christmas where she truly gets the whole santa thing and it is blowing her away. I cannot describe the pure joy in her voice and the excitement flowing through her little body. It dawned on me the other day as I thought about not getting a tree and not decorating - it is going to be Lauren that will keep me doing the Xmas thing even when it seems too much trouble and not worth the energy. We're going to go to the parade, go to Marshall Fields to see their big animated display, drive around looking at lights, play Christmas music, and watch all the Christmas shows on tv. I am going to be seeing the holiday season through my child's eyes. I am going to tap into her joy and excitement and it is going to be wonderful.

May everyone enjoy this holiday season with the enthusiasm and happiness of a young child!