This is the first newsletter I’ve ever been late with, and
those who know me well will know how annoyed I am with myself for missing my
self-imposed deadline and be not at all surprised that in nearly seventy
months, this is the first time I’ve ever slipped. I’m not even going to give you any excuses,
just dive right into the news – but I couldn’t just start the newsletter
without acknowledging the lateness.
Being December, this month has been incredibly busy and
full. The month started off with an
outing to see “Cirque de la Symphonie,” an event at the Port Theatre featuring
the Vancouver Island Symphony and a team of European acrobats. Since you have been asking for years to go to
the circus, and I have promised to take you if the circus were ever nearby, I
just had to keep my word. As luck would
have it, Grannie and Grandpa got to join us, too. We had front-row seats and you were
completely enthralled with the entire event!
You loved spotting the different instruments and were enraptured with
the acrobatic feats – and there was no complaining about the absence of
elephants and lions you might have been expecting. In fact, you loved the show so much that at
one point you identified a young boy contortionist as a good candidate for
fathering your future children! We all
loved the show and felt that you were now ready to experience a Cirque du
Soleil show when the opportunity presented itself – since then, we have
purchased tickets to see their next show in Vancouver, in June. Something wonderful to look forward to!
The very next day, I was very busy preparing a Christmas
dinner for 19 people while you had your own jam-packed social schedule: you
went to your friend Lily’s birthday party and then went to perform in your
Christmas piano recital. You were all
set to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and were wearing a beautiful, brand-new
sparkly dress for the occasion. Your dad was on a tight schedule to go pick you
up from the party and bring you directly to the recital, so imagine his shock
when he arrived at the birthday girl’s house to find you in the midst of having
your face painted – and not just a tiny butterfly on one cheek, but a
full-face, professional stage makeup type jobby wherein you looked (from close
up) like a cat, and (from far away) like the drummer from KISS. With no time to scrub it off, he took you to
the recital where you played flawlessly and no one seemed to blink about the
strange makeup, perhaps thinking it was all part of your performance.
The following weekend was also crammed full of Christmas
family activities. We went out to Milner
Gardens to see their Winter Wonderland light display, and went to the movie
theatre to see “Arthur Christmas”. We
had never seen this movie before, but it has become our new favourite Christmas
movie – not only because the child lead is named Gwen, but that doesn’t
hurt! Finally, we went to Parksville to
experience the immersive “Bethlehem Walk”.
You and I had been before, but Dad had never been, so it was really fun
to share that with him, and to look at all the amazing displays and
performances. With all these events in
one weekend, we definitely felt like we were in the Christmas spirit!
Still, however, there was something missing. Since your first Christmas, at eight months
old, we have always had your picture taken with Santa. You have never enjoyed this proceeding, but I
have never given you a choice. This
year, before I could consider my wording, I asked, “Would you like to take your
picture with Santa?” and quick as a wink, you answered “No thank you.” Now I was stuck! I wanted to respect your wishes, but of
course I still wanted a Christmas picture of you. I started making backup plans to just take a
picture of you in front of our Christmas tree, but Dad also suggested just
taking you to the mall and walking by Santa’s photo area, to see if you would
be tempted. Our luck being what it is,
we happened to arrive for this excursion when Santa was on his lunch break, so
there was absolutely nothing to hold your interest. We gave up and went home. The next day, however, you and I were set to
go to a fundraising event called “Breakfast with Santa” where there were many
activities to enjoy: a delicious pancake breakfast, of course, as well as
horse-drawn wagon rides, a kids-only toonie store where you could choose
presents for your friends and family (and even have them wrapped!), an
incredibly well-stocked silent auction, and, naturally, photos with Santa. We arrived at the event and immediately saw
Santa on stage, waiting for children. I
innocently asked, “Would you like to get your photo with Santa today?” and you
immediately responded, “YES!” I wasn’t
sure if you would be bold enough to follow through, but you did, and the result
is probably the best photo with Santa you’ve ever had. I guess giving you a choice in the matter
worked out well, after all.
The Christmas fun was still not over! Next came your Christmas concert at school, a
new milestone for you. I was aggravated
to see that really only the first two or three rows of seats had any chance of
actually being able to have a decent view of the stage, and nearly enraged when
the final number of the show – the one you’d been practicing at home for weeks –
had the smallest kids in the school ON THE FLOOR in front of the stage, making
you completely invisible from where I sat.
How frustrating! On the other
hand, I was charmed to find out that the cliché of children looking for their
parents in the audience so they could wave to them and call, “Hi, Mom!” was
actually true. I enjoyed what I could
see of your concert, and I think you enjoyed performing – especially after you’d
caught sight of your parents and grandparents who’d come to see the show.
We went to the theatre again the following weekend to see
the movie “Frozen”, the new Disney feature.
We’d all been looking forward to this film, you because, well, Disney
princesses, and Mom and Dad because of the buzz that this film was smarter and more
feminist-friendly than many of the previous Disney princess films (more in the
line of “Brave” and perhaps signifying a new and modern direction for children’s
films). We were all really enjoying the
movie, but about two-thirds of the way through a drama-filled crisis scene
caused you to burst into tears and insist on going home. I took you out of the theatre and calmed you
down, then suggested that the worst was over and that we should go back in to watch
the rest of the movie, which would no doubt include resolutions and happily
ever afters. But no – you were DONE with
that movie and wanted nothing but home. I
have never seen you so upset at a movie before, and you are very fond of some
movies I think of as pretty dark and scary – you have always loved The
Nightmare Before Christmas, for example, which isn’t so shocking for a
five-year-old, but you’ve been a huge fan of that movie since the age of
two. You also love 9, which I think is
super creepy. I think what upset you in
this movie is that the snow queen, Elsa, was not in control of her actions, and
was hurting people (including her beloved sister) without meaning to. That is a scary concept. All you could articulate about it is that it
scared you “when the queen be’d mean,” but that is my own pet theory about why
that pushed you over the edge. Dad noted
that while we were out of the theatre, before I went back in to tell him we
were leaving for good, that the movie actually got even darker, so maybe it’s
good that we left when we did – however, though we won’t show it to you again,
both your Dad and I would really like to watch the rest of the movie and see if
the reviews are
correct!
The Sunday before Christmas, you participated in our church’s
Sunday School pageant – you were proud to tell anyone who would listen that you
played the angel Gabriel. Not just a
nondescript angel, you got to deliver the important news to Mary that she was
going to have a child, and that she should not be afraid. Your dad came along to watch the show, and
when you danced down the aisle to talk to Mary, he worried that you were just
being your usual goofy self. “It’s okay,”
I told him. “She was specifically asked
to dance! She is doing just what she is
supposed to do.” You were well-cast as a
dancing angel, and did a terrific job.
Then it was time for Christmas at your Gramma and Grandpa’s. You got loads of presents, including a Furby
Boom, which is what you had asked for.
You were immediately smitten and it was funny to watch your
grandparents, who had not been sure why this not-very-interesting stuffed
animal was such a big deal, understand that the big deal was the Furby’s
computer and the way it interacts and learns from its ‘owner’. You paid little attention to the rest of us
for the rest of the evening, interacting instead with your new pet, “Bee-Tah”. This was a nice rest since you typically
demand constant attention from those around you!
The next day we headed to Powell River to have Christmas
with that side of the family. For the
first time in your life, we had Christmas morning with your cousins, which was
pretty terrific. We all went to church
on Christmas Eve, where your grandfather and cousins participated in the
pageant, but you (fair enough!) were performed-out. Unfortunately, we had a very rough sleep on
Christmas Eve, and when we woke up on Christmas morning, you were sick and even
threw up. What a sad way to start your
day! You were very upset and needed lots
of comfort. Meanwhile, everyone else was
ready to move into the living room and start opening their stockings. After a few minutes, we decided to set up a
comfy little bed-throne for you in the living room, so you could rest and still
be part of the fun. As the morning
passed, so did the sickness, and you were soon yourself again. We all got completely spoiled at Christmas,
especially you, receiving (among other things) a LeapPad tablet. Mom and Dad got Apple TV, a Netflix Account,
and a portable DVD player, so it’s fair to say we are all well-equipped with technology
and media entertainment for the foreseeable future!
We just arrived home from Powell River last night, and now
we have a week or so more of Christmas break to enjoy both relaxing leisure
activities and the tasks of finding homes for all our new presents. As I write this you are happily playing with
your tablet and practicing writing letters with the stylus. We are so blessed to have had such a
wonderful Christmas, spending time with so much of our family and receiving so
many fun and useful gifts.
Merry Christmas, my girl!
Love,
Mama
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