With angelic host proclaim*

by chuckofish

Hello from daughter #2!

It should come as no surprise that I am enjoying the Christmas season with the girls. At 3.5 years old, Katie has been very invested in our decorations, Christmas stories, beloved movies, and other traditions. She makes everything more special, from buying an inexpensive wreath at the grocery store to unpacking generations-old ornaments. This year, she even picked out a few gifts and helped me pen the accompanying cards. (We discussed that, because it’s the thought that counts, it helps to write a thoughtful message about what you chose.)

For her part, Ida has enjoyed Christmas music and always amuses us with her dance moves, which center in her hips. She can’t help but dance, no matter how busy she is with something else (crawling, cruising, jail-breaking, wreaking general havoc). When we watched White Christmas, she stopped in her literal tracks when Bing Crosby sang his first note. (I have since heard multiple other accounts of children doing this!) Admittedly, she is still a big fan of The Beach Boys. (You may recall that when she was a wee babe, DN sang “Surfin’ I-D-A” to her, to much delight.)

With an older toddler, we have also been answering a lot of questions about Christmas. Some regard deeper themes — when learning “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,”* Katie asked, “Why do they say newborn king and not newborn baby?”

Others, not so much. At dinner:

Katie: “Mom, will you tell me to eeeeat, Katie, eat?”
Me: “Do you mean like Mrs. Claus says?” (I recognized the line from Rudolph.)
Katie: “Yes.”
Me: “Eeeat, Katie, eat!”
Katie: “Can you say it again but not with that tone?”

Gee whiz. This exchange then prompted a conversation about why Santa needs a round belly in the first place. Like a bowl full of jelly? — what is jelly? I mean, I’m really with her.

While we are on the topic of toddler philosophy, I’ll leave you with one more anecdote. As we plan our move to Illinois, we are trying to prepare Katie for big changes. Accordingly, she has many questions. The other night, she asked, “Will we take Ida’s walker to Illinois?” We said, yes, we will take all of our things to Illinois. “How?” (Great question.) We explained that we will put everything in a big, big truck. “Why not 3 or 4 small trucks?”

Indeed.

*Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1739