Holiday Experiences Everywhere

Last weekend during a Costco trip, I spent $20 on a 90-pack of holiday themed hot cocoa cups. Did we need that many? Absolutely not. But, we needed a few and I didn’t want to make a trip somewhere else so I laughed and told the boys we had enough cocoa cups to last until they graduate college.

That night, I broke out the cups and a crockpot of cocoa for the boys and their friends while we toured the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. Neighbors brought out tables of treats and cookies, and we all chatted and walked the streets like a more cheerful and far less scary Halloween.

In years past, we’d taken the kids to big name events like the Enchant Hallmark Christmas or Pratt Brothers Christmas, purchasing tickets and standing in long lines to ride a train or see a light show set to music. While I have great memories with our kids in those event centers or parks transformed into magical workshops or wonderlands, I’ve learned over the years that you don’t have to break the bank for a truly magical experience if you don’t want to. We’ve even had several encounters with the big man himself- Santa, without standing in a line at the mall for hours on end or reserving an appointment. Just yesterday morning he winked from across a farmer’s market, waiting with his wife for children to come ask about their lists.

Last night, we filled a couple more cups of cocoa and drove about 15 minutes to a neighborhood with a well-known light display so the boys could mail their letters to Santa, in a true North Pole mailbox (the only way to get it to the North Pole without using a ton of stamps.) When we pulled up, we realized the traffic was even more packed than we anticipated. We found ourselves in a turnaround, but caught a glimpse of a parade, so we parked. Walking over to the curb, we had a great spot to see the Queen Creek 4×4 Parade, an annual event I had no clue existed. There must have been over a hundred jeeps, go-carts and four wheelers, lit up and decorated, throwing candy and blasting Christmas music. We laughed and cheered as the boys filled their pockets. Then, we wandered the “Lights on Lark” display and dropped their letters in the mailbox, waving to Santa. We couldn’t have planned it better if we’d tried. And I think that’s the best part; the parts that come together when you don’t plan.

One of my favorite holiday memories happened because I couldn’t go to an annual holiday party. I was about 5 years old and I had the chicken pox. Instead, as a sort of consolation prize, my dad took me to a neighborhood much like “Lights on Lark,” where everyone on the street decked out their houses for all to enjoy. We walked down the street looking at lights, and of course, drank some hot cocoa.

I can definitely understand and appreciate annual family traditions of train rides, high dollar holiday events, and professional photos from Santa’s lap. But, for families that want to make memories without the means, there’s a joy in the simplicity and surprises that come with finding the magic everywhere you look. And if you want to add cocoa, I have about 70 cups left.

A Workbook Summer

Just before the end of the school year, a coworker suggested we print custom summer workbooks to give out to our students. Working in the communications department of a school district, I posed a few follow-up questions to weigh the costs and benefits, asking- “how many people do you think would use them?”

He explained his children’s summer routine of waking up and having workbook time at the kitchen table before reading and then playing. In a later meeting, several other coworkers, all educators, confirmed their children did summer work too. There I was, feeling like a terrible parent. My kids’ summer routine consists of tearing apart the house, lots of swimming, Lego building, traveling, and no structure. I didn’t get the workbook memo. We were supposed to be doing workbooks this whole time?! My son is entering sixth grade, we missed six YEARS of workbooks!

But this week on our vacation to Yellowstone National Park, I realized maybe I was a workbook mom all along.

Every time we visit a National Park, the boys do their Junior Ranger workbooks and earn the Junior Ranger badge for that park. They just earned two more this week for Yellowstone and Grand Teton, where they explored active geysers and hot springs, swam in a lake carved by glaciers, and spotted bears, bison, and other wildlife in their natural habitat. This amazing free program sparks curiosity in our kids and allows them to put what they’re experiencing into context, with activities about history, conservation and the natural world. On one of our hikes, Little Bro chatted nonstop about bison and bears, citing how much weight a bison could move, what bears ate during different seasons, how long they hibernated, and more.

So yeah, I guess I am a workbook mom. It’s not a kitchen table. It’s a little wilder than that, and there’s still no structure. But I think they learned a lot this summer just the same.

The Most Wonderful Time

If there’s a busier person than a parent of elementary-aged children during the holiday season, I don’t know who it is. Maybe an air traffic controller, or the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Maybe Beyoncé. But I think the sheer volume of holiday cheer and festivity crammed into the last month of the year is enough to rival even the highest-performing multitaskers.

It’s the week before winter break and I’m wrapping presents for a secret santa gift exchange and white elephant party. We shopped for cookie baking supplies for Little Bro’s class, donated cans to Big Bro’s class, planned their purchases for their holiday market, reserved their shaved ice fundraising treat, got bells for their Jingle jog, and of course it’s also Spirit Week. Tomorrow’s pajama day is about all I can handle.

Just when I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel of emails, I received an alert for a “Crazy Sock Exchange.” I’m convinced the universe is just making things up at this point. We’ve done book exchanges and cookie exchanges, but a sock exchange- that’s a new one. Nevertheless, I got to work filling holiday socks with treats because at this point, what’s one more celebration?

I know in a few short days, the last week of the year will bring the bustle to a stop. We’ll get a break from work and school to relax and recharge before ringing in 2024. I’ll be basking in every slow minute of it.