Well, both Thanksgiving and Black Friday have quickly come and gone, and thoughts of the Winter holidays--Advent season for those who follow the liturgical year--are now upon us. But this preparation for the holiday season is nothing new around our house.
Weeks ago, my five-year-old son created his list for Santa, and it was not your ordinary list. He cut pictures out of several parent-unfriendly, kid-centric toy magazines; posted them on an extra-long colored piece of paper; and even prioritized them (his own folksonomic strucutre!). Job well done, right? Well, not quite.
Perhaps like most works of art, his list has an organic nature of sorts. I've seen him gently remove one picture and try to paste another in its place, demoting some and promoting others, and creating a monetary total probably in the thousands of dollars range. Of course, Santa's poor helpers have tried to stay abreast of all his changes of heart and mind, but it's impossible! What's more, we've had to discuss with him how he will certainly not be getting everything on his list. His youthful reply was something to the effect that Santa could get him anything and everything he wants. After all, he isn't just paying all those elves to stand around!
Now, THAT will get a tired parent's brain working. So I thought I came up with a clever way to explain it to him. You see; my son never shies away from trying to understand things (after all, he was the one who asked me what a diuretic is not too long ago), and so I explained to him that times had been tough for much of America; that some parents and children are without homes and food; and now, more than ever, they were hoping for Santa to bring them those things for which they had wished. So this is definitely not a time to be selfish because Santa's sort of on a budget this year!
Being the sweet child that he is, my son sat and listened intently to my words, asked a few questions, and assured me that he understood. He told me he just wants to give Santa as many options as possible.
Now, let's just hope Santa doesn't have to take out a sub-prime loan his Christmas!
Weeks ago, my five-year-old son created his list for Santa, and it was not your ordinary list. He cut pictures out of several parent-unfriendly, kid-centric toy magazines; posted them on an extra-long colored piece of paper; and even prioritized them (his own folksonomic strucutre!). Job well done, right? Well, not quite.
Perhaps like most works of art, his list has an organic nature of sorts. I've seen him gently remove one picture and try to paste another in its place, demoting some and promoting others, and creating a monetary total probably in the thousands of dollars range. Of course, Santa's poor helpers have tried to stay abreast of all his changes of heart and mind, but it's impossible! What's more, we've had to discuss with him how he will certainly not be getting everything on his list. His youthful reply was something to the effect that Santa could get him anything and everything he wants. After all, he isn't just paying all those elves to stand around!
Now, THAT will get a tired parent's brain working. So I thought I came up with a clever way to explain it to him. You see; my son never shies away from trying to understand things (after all, he was the one who asked me what a diuretic is not too long ago), and so I explained to him that times had been tough for much of America; that some parents and children are without homes and food; and now, more than ever, they were hoping for Santa to bring them those things for which they had wished. So this is definitely not a time to be selfish because Santa's sort of on a budget this year!
Being the sweet child that he is, my son sat and listened intently to my words, asked a few questions, and assured me that he understood. He told me he just wants to give Santa as many options as possible.
Now, let's just hope Santa doesn't have to take out a sub-prime loan his Christmas!
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