I realize that it is pretty early to be thinking about Christmas. I’ve been trying to reserve holiday preparations for after Thanksgiving. We haven’t put up our tree yet, for example. But in the mind of young children, it is never too early to start thinking about Christmas.
We have some books that were given to us by another homeschooling family with older children. Among the stash, my 5-year-old found a book of Christmas cut-outs with a page at the back for writing a letter to Santa. My son is just learning how to write and was very excited by this development. He sat down and got right to work. When I finished my morning chores, I checked in on him. He was just adding the finishing touches. I asked if he’d like to read it to me.
He read, “Dear Santa, I love you. Love,” and he had signed his name. I have to admit, I was surprised. I assumed he would write a letter about what he wanted for Christmas, like most kids. I asked him, “What do you love about Santa?” He replied, “I love that he eats the cookies we put out!”
Not to be outdone, my 3-year-old piped up, “I wrote a letter, too!” She showed me a paper with her scribbles on it and told me it said, “Dear Jesus, thank you for Santa. Amen.”
Their beautiful innocence is so precious to me. That sweetness will carry me through all the rush and bustle of the season, reminding me to take the time to consider what’s really important.
ack! I think I got a cavity reading that! 🙂