Christmas Tree Lighting – A Tale of Two Children

 It was the best of Christmas memories. It was the worst of Christmas memories...

 Baby Girl and Little Man couldn’t be more different if they were trying. My son has always been adventurous and excited to participate in whatever was happening. My daughter is cautious and wary of large groups of people. So bringing these two anywhere is an exercise in patience and an interesting character study. One of the reasons having kids is so fun is because we get to participate in childhood activities without judgment or weird looks. This is why we try to take full advantage of holiday traditions like Santa, parties and tree lighting ceremonies. The base had its annual Christmas tree lighting a few nights ago followed by a party and visit with Mr. Claus himself. We were all ready to enjoy the evening; well at least three of us were.

Last year waiting for Santa

 When we arrived at the ceremony site we each took responsibility of a child. I took Baby Girl and my husband took Little Man. Instantly my Little Man started running around asking if he could join existing groups of playing children. Baby Girl kept trying to lead me back to the car. Little Man clapped joyfully with the music playing. Baby Girl dropped to the ground crying out for something I couldn’t identify. Little Man happily climbed onto his father’s shoulders to see the lights. Baby Girl cried like her puppy died while squirming in my arms. You get the idea.

 

Last years picture with Santa. Notice someone missing?

We followed the group to the next building for some treats and Santa time. While waiting in line my son was unusually well behaved, staying next to us the entire time. My sweet daughter kept dropping to the ground in fits of anger. People would try to say hello to her and she would flash a dirty look while sucking her thumb. The only thing that made her even a little happy was the food (by the way, it was pretty darn good). Since my daughter doesn’t like Santa and we didn’t feel like poking the bear, we decided to switch kids; I would take Little Man to see Santa and my husband would babysit our coats and hang out with Grumpy McGee.

For 45 minutes Little Man once again was unusually well behaved and actually listened while we meandered through the slow moving line. He handed his letter to Santa, took his picture and we were on our way back to daddy and sister without incident. My poor husband was glassy-eyed and leaning in a chair while my daughter was occupied for a moment with toys and candy. It turns out she had more than one freak out while I was with my pod-people son.

This is just one more example of how different my children are. Little Man grabbed the evening with both hands while Baby Girl resisted each new experience that didn’t include food. We will get better at balancing their personalities. For now, life is likely to stay an interesting blend of adventure seeking and enjoying the safety of home.