This holiday season marked the first time in 21 years that I did not have a ‘child’ to spend Christmas with. Now, don’t get me wrong. Nothing untimely has happened to my kids. But something did happen when I wasn’t looking. My kids have turned into adults. Although bittersweet, I have found that having ‘adult children’ (how’s that for oxymoronic?) has its perks.
This year my son hosted his first Christmas dinner. The turkey was perfectly cooked, the potatoes expertly mashed and the gravy was delish. Okay, so I made the gravy, but I swear he did the rest, with only a little guidance from me. I had a wonderfully restful day. I napped, I played video games, and through it all the wonderful smell of turkey roasting gave me a wonderful feeling of contentment.
Another wonderful perk of having grown up offspring is that this year I had a very grown up tree. It did not have to be put inside of a barricade to avoid ornamental ingestion. We did not have to put all the glass ornaments on the top of the tree, out of reach. No popsicle stick mangers, no egg carton and glitter Christmas ornaments and no painted popcorn garlands. It is all dark purple and silver with white mini-lights. It is quite magical really.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love a tree that has been decorated by chubby little fingers. There is something quite beautiful about a tree that has 98% of its ornaments on the bottom 3 feet of the tree. I can brag with the best of them about how little Junior made that toilet paper roll Wiseman with no help at all. But this year, I didn’t have to.
This year, I will brag about how my daughter saw the importance of having a grown up tree before I did. This year, I will brag about how my son spent part of Christmas cooking a turkey and the other part making sure everyone was happy and comfortable. This year, I might even brag about how I didn’t have to pretend that the gifts were perfect, because this year my kids both really thought about what I love. They are wonderful kids adults!
When I had small children, I used to swear that Christmas was best viewed through the eyes of children. There is a magic and wonder in those eyes that you don’t usually see in the eyes of the over 40 set. But this year, I experienced the magic and wonder firsthand. I learned to relax and let other capable hands take care of the details. I trimmed a very grown up tree with a very grown up daughter. It really was a great Christmas. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if all the people I love could have been there to see it too. For those of you who missed it, hopefully, you just got a sneak peak. Happy Holidays!
2 comments:
that does sound wonderful shells! you should be so proud of not only you adult kids but the fantastic relationship with them that you enjoy. not all, or perhaps even many, parents can claim to be as loved, respected, and treated so equally as you can by children at an age when they are usually off, with friends, who are usually oh so more important. they are not off because their parent, their mom, YOU are their friend. happy merry christmas and if you are taking applications for some more child-like kids, i'll print the one i have waiting off. ;)
Awww...shucks! If I ever need a PR person, I know who I'll call!
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