***
The morning after Christmas, Emmeline tip-toed nervously through the house. She inspected the tree where a day earlier the boughs and branches had been festooned with gift cards and envelopes and the leafy eaves had been buttressed with packages and ribbons and bows. She frowned and cocked her head to the side, probably disappointed to find only lights and ornaments.
She skittered to the fireplace on anxious feet. Then she bent low to peer into the chimney.
“Ahnta?” she whispered into the dark. “Coook-eez?”
It was difficult to explain that a man in a red suit would come barreling down her chimney in the middle of the night to fill her socks with candy and gifts. She must have thought her parents had lost it in the weeks leading up to Christmas, what with all the talk of flying ungulates and obese strangers from the north. But come Christmas morning, it all seemed to register: The cookies we had left the night before were eaten, the milk gone; the barren tree was burdened with plenty; relatives shoved presents in her lap and said, “Here, from Santa.” The rest of the day she begged for cookies and inquired about the well-being and whereabouts of this mysterious chimney sweep who apparently had a thing for elfin folk, shopping mall photography and giving her things in colored paper.
When she woke up from her nap the day after Christmas and found the house still empty of relatives and gifts, she searched the tree again and peered into the chimney. She even looked in the refrigerator and under her crib.
“Ahnta?” she called. “Coook-eez?”
I realized that it would be more difficult to explain that Santa only comes once a year and that the rest of the time he eerily keeps tabs on girls and boys with an omniscient checklist, a practice that for any other adult would mean incarceration or at the very least a list of a different sort. Instead I quietly re-wrapped one of her new animal toys and told her that Santa had come again and probably would the next day, too, so long as she continued to inspect the fireplace with a curious wonder some among us had long ago abandoned. She opened the toy and didn’t seem to mind that it felt familiar in her hands, and so we played together by the tree and watched the ornaments twirl and glisten in the early twilight.
***
who really needs to know the difference anyway? just keep on giving and enjoying the smiles.
As I get older, it becomes harder and harder for me to remember a time when I believed in things like this.
are there words to this post? I can only see your girl, insanely cute. There might be some garbeldy-gook in between the photos, but I can’t make it out for the cuteness.
magical.
I think that pretty much sums up everything I write, don’t you? blah blah blah (kid photo) blah blah blah.
So um … are you going to continue to give Emme a present every day until she stops asking and looking? Good luck with that one, you might have dug yourself a hole. Lol!
This occurred to me a touch too late.
OMG!! The cuteness! She’s Cyndi-Who or an elf or OMG I may have just died from the cuteness of it.
Yeah Santa, you really do need to think these things through a bit more. I guess once the tree’s gone you can drop it and she’ll forget in a few days. Maybe.
Dana maybe should try the same tactic with you. Since she’d noitice if you re-gifted it might work out a bit better for her.
Forget about the presents — she should wear that outfit every day! Adorable.
I also want to commend you for using the word “ungulate.” It’s a favorite of mine.
Awww. That’s just so cute I almost puked with happiness. She’s freakin’ adorable.
On a side-note, when I saw “lotus07″ in the comments, I had an alzheimer’s moment, and wondered for just a split-second, “bwaaah? Have I been here before?” Then I stopped being dumb. I don’t use that as a signature.
This all makes more sense if you know that “Lotus” is my REAL name.
Hope you’re still enjoying the season!
no, I love what you write. I read every single word of it and am amazed with the thoughtful beauty. This was just over the damned top!
There’s no competing with a toddler elf.
Oh trust me, I get it. Toddler elf gets me every time, too.
As much as I enjoyed your post, I have to say that the photo on the sidebar
(titled, ‘I have no idea’) is the most heeeeelarious thing I have ever seen.
Between the classic hair and the ‘…yeah, and?! ‘ expression, I nearly peed myself when I saw it. Cutest. Picture. Ever.
Thanks. I’m pretty sure she is displaying her smile in that photo — something she has yet to master. We tell her to smile and she breaks into a rendition of “white wedding.” It’s a scary snarl.
Damn. Awwwwww!!!!!! I can’t wait for that. I’m a huge sucker too. All weekend long the relatives were all, she is rotten! she has you wrapped! I was all, yeah so what. I love it so shut it Granny!
The Poo just turned three and she really gets it this year. I have to admit that it was the first holiday I enjoyed – even a little bit – in so many years. Her joy was so irrepressible. The tights, oh, those stripey tights.
I force my children to leave cookies out for me every night. That way they are never disappointed that they haven’t gone and I get to eat cookies daily.
I just hope they don’t find out I’m really father christmas dressed up as their father.
Merry Christmas to you!
I wish I could 100% delight in the whole Santa/Christmas thing but a part of me feels it is oh so much work to keep the kids believing in it all!
Merry days to you in the year to come.
Toddler Elf is adorable. She always is to me, at least, and I should be immune to cute little blonde girl-toddlers by now. While I agree with the others, that you might have thought through the present a day concept a bit more at first, who am I to judge?
My Boy just pointed out on Christmas Eve that Tiffany is going to start associating little siblings with mountains of cool presents for her. And that next year she’ll be pestering us for another brother. Of course this is predicated on her realizing that Robbie was born in that fun holiday DMZ, after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. We think she’s understanding that her brother’s waiting to get bigger before he comes home, but who fathoms the mind of a toddler?
“…inspect the fireplace with a curious wonder some among us had long ago abandoned.”
those were good times!
Great photo! Happy New Year!