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Hello and how are you all? Happy New Year!
I hope you had a lovely festive period and that you managed to see loved ones.
This was our first year in the new house and it was quite an emotional time for me and i delayed writing this post to be able to give myself time to digest my feelings and better understand why i felt so emotional. And although I dont have all the answers i do think i understand some of my emotions.
This year my son is 3, almost 4 and the concept of christmas was sinking in and it was clear that he was excited, but i wasnt too sure of how much he actually understood.
He would come home from nursery and talking about santa, singing christmas songs. I chatted with him and asked him questions to understand what he knew about christmas and it turned out he knew quite a bit. I asked him to tell me what santa’s job was and my heart just melted when he was able to tell me that santa was going to bring him presents if he was a good boy.
We chatted more and i asked him what sort of presents he would like from santa to which his answer was very clear – he wanted dinosaurs.
My parents look after my son once a week and while there they helped him to write a letter to santa asking for dinosaurs and promising that he is a good boy and would continue to be a good boy. we posted the letter together and he had such a sense of pride that he had sent his letter to santa.
We opened his advent calendar daily after dinner so he could have a chocolate treat and count down the days. To be fair, i think he was simply happy at getting chocolate lol.
I wanted to encourage his excitement and understanding of christmas and i planned a number of activities for my son to enjoy christmas and to make memories together.
New Lanark Heritage Site
We went to see santa at New Lanark heritage site where they had the most amazing winter wonderland. If you havent been i’d highly recommend it.
As soon as we entered the visitor centre that had been transformed into a beautiful winter scene, his little face just lit up with amazement and joy. The ride is almost like a ski cable car that you sit in and are taken round a track where there is sound and visuals to deliver a story from a projected fairy and how her and her fairy friends help santa to make christmas happen. He was simply blown away and the glow of delight on his face was just everything i could imagine being a loving parent could be.
We went home that night and put on a christmas playlist while we put up the christmas tree and made the house feel ready for christmas. He was so proud of the tree and i have photos of him stnading beside it beaming with joy.
Pantomime
Our local village has a theatre and we got tickets to go to the pantomime, which was great. In the lead up to the panto i was worried that covid we result in the show being cancelled but we were lucky and the show went ahead.
The day of the panto i was trying to explain what was going to happen, what we were going to see and how much fun it would be. I wasnt too sure how much he understood and like any normal three year old he wasnt paying too much attention to what i was saying.
We got into the theatre, bought some snacks and a light-up windmill then we went to find our seats. As the show started he was a mix of excited and apprehensive and he immediately wasnt a fan of the bad character and it was too loud for me to explain its only a story.
As the actors encouraged audience participcation he excitedly joined in shouting, waving, dancing and singing and once again his little face just beamed with happiness. I felt so emotional seeing him glow with excitement and the sheer joy on his face just filled me with even more love for the wee guy.
On the walk home from the theatre he sang and danced and repeated lots of the panto and he just looked so happy and excited. We got home and he was sound asleep in minutes. he had exhausted himself.
Christmas
Christmas eve was the christmas party at nursery and he was so excited to wear his new christmas jumper and we chatted about the christmas party so he knew what to expect. Walking to nursery he was skipping and jumping and just overly excited for the day ahead.
He had a blast at the christmas party and on the way home from nursery we talked about getting ready for christmas eve – nice dinner, bath, new pyjamas, opening one small present and then early to bed ready for santa to come. He was as good as gold and we had a lovely christmas eve and by bedtime he was sound asleep – out like a light.
I was so glad he slept well but i was equally anxious about how early he might wake in the morning and what his reaction would be. I knew he would be fine but i was a little worried that it would be overwhelming.
Christmas morning, 6am and the bedroom door bursts open and in he came, wide awake, full of chat and he jumped straight up on the bed to demand i get up and go downstairs. As we went downstairs im not sure how much he knew about what was about to happen. I was asking him if he thought santa had been to deliver his presents and that was like flicking a switch! suddently he knew it was christmas and he was so excited.
He entered the living room which was full of toys and presents and the levels of excitement went through the roof. He was completely taken over by excitement and wonder and he didnt know what to play with first. I sat on the floor helping him to open gifts and i wallowed in seeing him so happy, so full of joy and so amazed that there was so many things all just for him.
Parenting
As a parent all i want is for my son to feel loved and safe and that i am able and willing to provide everything that he needs to help him grow and develop into a lovable kind and considerate person. Seeing him enjoy all the magic that christmas brings, seeing him drink in all the excitement and fun that comes with christmas, not to mention seeing him develop his understanding of this tradition allowed me to experience a sensory overload of love, pride, adoration, amazement, satisfaction and protection all at once and i have to say that hardly a day went by where i didnt shed a tear or three.
Hosting parents, arranging everything, cooking, cleaning, playing not to mention teaching all about the traditions of this holiday was exhausting and i was glad of the evenings to recharge my batteries once the little one was in bed.
I aimed to have an almost perfect christmas and i feel that we achieved that. being a parent is continuous and relentless hard work, particularly when your child is so young and need so much. But at the same time that feeling you get when you see your child experience something for the first time and that look of sheer wonder and amazement on their face combined with their uncontrollable excitement, makes it all absolutely worth it.
Im not one for sharing photos of my son here, but i decided to share the photo on this post as his little face just radiates as he is invested in the story of the pantomime and he is drinking in every last part of the performance. This face was the face of my 2021 christmas and it appeared almost daily as different festive activities and traditions took place.
