Christmas Was Meant for Children

Somehow, I suspect, we all secretly expect Christmas to feel the way it did when we were a kid, even if for a fleeting moment, at each Christmas season, even if decades have passed since our own childhood Christmases.  I had the privilege of being in the company of several fantastic children this season, and by spending time with them, caught those glimpses of Christmas magic.

We crammed in, the weekend before Christmas, an overnight trip with our friends the Cronks to New York City. Though expensive both time and money-wise at this time of year, it was absolutely worth it, for many reasons.  All of those Christmas movies are kind of right; if you want some Christmas magic, head to NYC with people you love.

Jeff picked out a great place to eat dinner called Ella's Stardust Cafe in Times Square.  The waiters and waitresses are Broadway hopefuls/off-Broadway performers. They not only provide great service but also dance and sing all around the restaurant.  The place pulses with life, as many places in NYC do. A restaurant with singing staff could be dreadful, but this is really fun.  The kids LOVED it. It's a jam-packed place so they ended up having their own table, with amazing seats.  It was fun to be there, but made extra special by watching how excited and happy the kids were.

There is a toy store that exists where when you step in, your grown-up eyes widen and you feel your body shrink down to kid-size.  You whisper, "Wow!" and stare at everything you can at once. FAO Schwartz, NYC.  Of course everything is more expensive. But you seriously don't care. You want to stay for hours. (It's like the anti-ToysRUs, in my opinion).

Jeff, who notoriously does NOT catch Christmas spirit easily, got a huge helping in the candy section. Giant size, giant quantities.  Though we were completely done shopping for nieces and nephews, he pleaded to buy them each an enormous version of their favorite candy. "We spent their whole allotments," I feebly protested, and added, "their mothers will kill us for giving them this much sugar!"  But he argued that it was Christmas and wouldn't it be fun to see the looks on their faces.

An example of the looks on their faces.

  Totally worth the extra money and hauling big bags onto trains like extras in a Christmas movie. Jeff's nephew and niece, when asked what they got for Christmas from a family friend first shouted about their candy.  When AJ opened his Jolly Ranchers he hollered, "This will last me my whole lifetime!"

The littlest one in the family is Jovie, age 2. She discovered that she not only likes making "tooties", she  really likes the way "tandy tane" sprinkles taste. (She can't make the hard "c" sound). 2 days before Christmas, we gathered at my sister Kelly's house for some Christmas cookie decorating. Kelly had every kind of sprinkle imaginable, with loads of frosting colors and cookie shapes.  It was so cozy and perfect sitting with the kids and creating all of those festive cookies.

At Jeff's parents' house, Anna and Allie surprised us with a very well done reading of the Christmas story.  This sweet, earnest, simple performance was better than any church service could be.

There was lots more fun - roller skating, games, watching old family slides, etc. These are just a few of the magical Christmas moments made possible by some great kids.