Most Magical Night of the Year #poem

The build up, the hustle,

The lights, and the cheer.

The shopping, the parties,

The stress, it’s all here.

The families, the friends,

All our energies combine,

All the magic in this world,

Leading up to tonight.

Our kids rest their heads,

Till pretend turns to sleep.

We’re sneaking around,

Not making a peep.

With the flick of a wrist,

All time gets to pause,

For the one and only,

Santa Clause.

WHEW, what a season its been! I have a couple of littles. My kids are 6 and 4, so this has truly been the best Christmas of my life SO FAR. Everything is just so magical, and the gleam of it shines through my kids eyes daily. There is something wonderfully dusted with magic everywhere we turn. I’ve somewhat neglected this blog, as well as my writing life in general for the season because I realize with every part of me that I’ll never get this time back. They’ll never be these ages at Christmas again. Each year will bring something new, and this year I’m really clinging onto what I have right now. I’ve put my little family first and I’m not at all sorry for it!

As I mentioned at Thanksgiving, my son has a different way of thinking than most kids. His mind is an absolute gem. They’re yet to place him on the spectrum, but he’s still being observed and tutored as we try and crack his little learning and sensory development code.

That said, he has a thing about boxes and duct tape.

He builds some pretty phenomenal things for a six year old. It’s usually random stuff, you know, like time travel command stations, dog food launchers, Dino-robots equipped with ancient rocket blasters… basically everything useful to a six year old with a cream of the crop imagination. If you can dream it up (or if you can’t dream it up), Cannon can and will build it with duct tape, scissors, boxes and/or paper plates and bowls, and whatever else he feels needs to be glued and painted onto the final product to top it off for details. We have a lot of homemade games, many of which I find taped to the walls on a regular basis. It can get a little frustrating, yes, especially for a clean freak like myself, but I encourage it and keep his tape stocked up because what is left in life if we can’t pursue what we love? Even at six!

I’ve kind of rolled with the creative side of décor at my house, as it pertains to my son’s imagination.

At my house right now we have one real tree, two fake trees, an entire wall covered in a felt tree with stick on ornaments that can be re-placed by my daughter each day, and holiday décor on every shelf and wall. Each year I do a handprint painting craft with them so that when I’m an old empty nester I can surround myself this time of year with their growing lives and wallow in my old self-pity…. So anyway, I have those out too. We’ve went to see Santa several times, made countless gifts, baked, bought and read dozens of Christmas children books, we’ve put out reindeer snacks, anti-Grinch dust, lights, yada-yada-yada… we’re really in the spirit!

Then there’s my son’s stuff. It’s taken all of the patience I can muster, but I’ve managed to let him have (practically) free reign. He’s made a few tree’s of his own with taped up boxes, and the ornaments he’s made of random items is impressive. I gave him a bunch of holiday ribbon to use, and he picked out a couple rolls of his own wrapping paper. He’s been building and wrapping gifts like there’s no tomorrow. I honestly don’t know what’s scraps or wrapped gifts at this point. Once all the chaos is over and I’m finally able to let myself give into the urge to clean, de-junk, and organize everything I’ll probably cry and celebrate in equal measures.

As for tonight (the Eve), and for tomorrow morning, I’m WALKING ON A CLOUD! I can’t wait to see their little faces as they open all of the unique things that they asked Santa for. The magic of it all is so thick around these little kids, and my husband and I have practically slaughtered ourselves making it happen.

I can only hope that anyone reading this will have as merry of a Christmas as we are having at our blessed little Oviatt home!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! And, don’t forget to check out December’s WIP writing challenge!