Instant Gratification

It's not always obvious when you're growing up, but eventually you come to realize that some of the really cool things you did as a kid were long-standing, family traditions. Some, more unique to your family than others, but all of them a part of the wonder of childhood you can't fully appreciate until your an adult.

Then, when you have kids of your own, you learn to not only develop a deeper appreciation for the actual traditions, but for your parents, who painstakingly spent endless hours prepping things, coaxing your participation, teaching you the ropes, packing things away for next year, saving mementos and scouring magazine for new ideas, in order to give you, the child, a moment in time that you will, hopefully, remember and cherish.

It's a lot of work, these traditions.

And while it may take kids years to fully appreciate it all, parents get instant gratification. And I, dear friends, am a big fan of instant gratification.

So maybe that explains (in part) my unending thirst for the holiday season. I drink up this time of year like a lost, desert wanderer.  Because there is unexplainable magic in seeing excitement grow in the eyes of your child.

Or watching them proudly roll out the dough for Aunt Sherry's homemade Thanksgiving noodles.

Or catching the "power of the tongue" as they roll up crescent rolls. 

Or hearing Lindsey ask for "more, more" after Daddy squirts whipped cream in her mouth.

Or anticipating our annual visit from Finnegan - that silly, little elf.

Or finally having a great reason for the kids to eat their breakfast in the morning.

Or visiting with real, living, breathing reindeer.

Or picking out the perfect tree.

Or admiring a big brother teach his little sister how to hang ornaments on the perfect tree.

'Tis the season for traditions.