YO MAMA: Toddler’s first 'real' Christmas
We first spotted his red hat through the window of the store. He was scurrying about, putting items on display at the local thrift shop.
“Santa!” my toddler exclaimed.
“Would you look at that,” I said. “I think you’re right. We’ve caught Santa at his day job.”
We had already met “Santa” at a recent holiday event. That Santa arrived late after a heavy snowstorm and showed up with a rumpled robe and a steaming coffee mug. He had a faux beard but I thought he was great. It takes a special kind of person to drive through a blizzard just to sit in close proximity with a bunch of runny-nosed children all day long.
We opened the door and my son marched right up and addressed Santa by name. Plain Clothes Santa didn’t miss a beat. He stopped what he was doing, put his box of knick knacks on the floor and knelt down beside my son. He moved in a graceful, grandfatherly way, just like Santa would. He wore grey slacks and a knitted sweater. He had a real beard which was white as snow. His kind eyes really twinkled. I couldn’t believe it.
Santa indulged my son in an intimate little chat about Christmas. Other shoppers paused to listen.
“And what would you like me to bring you for Christmas?” Santa asked.
Without hesitation, my son answered, “rocks!” His Christmas wish had remained surprisingly consistent, for that is what he had asked the previous Santa for as well.
“Ho, ho, ho. Rocks!” Santa chuckled.
“Sorry, Santa,” I said. “I realize that will weigh your bag down a bit.”
But he said it was alright. He was a very easy-going Santa Claus.
My son talked about meeting Santa for the rest of the day. At almost three years old, this was his first “real” Christmas. Unlike last year when he was mostly mesmerized by Christmas lights and snowmen, he was now beginning to understand the idea of Christmas and all the traditions that came with it. He had read books about Santa and had a quirky interpretation of what would happen on Christmas day: Santa would arrive on a sleigh pulled by a John Deere tractor. He may not have had all the details quite right, but the excitement and wonder was definitely there.
I remember loving Christmas as a child. It was magical opening up the box of ornaments every year, some of them passed down from my grandparents. As a little girl, I inspected the glittering decorations in absolute awe. It was a special time where us kids got to reconnect with grandparents and cousins we hadn’t seen in a long time. Letters were written out in our best handwriting and decorated with crayon-coloured candy canes and reindeer. We ate delicious chocolates and sang songs while mom played on the piano.
As I got older, though, the sheen of Christmas sort of faded. Getting a tree seemed like a hassle, plus it was expensive, so my husband and I just put a few ornaments on our fig tree. As the holidays approached, I still got excited about cookie exchanges, making Christmas cards, and doing holiday crafts, but inevitably, there would come a point in time — usually while wrapping presents at the very last minute — where my to-do list seemed never ending and I just wanted the holidays to be over.
This year, things are completely different. It’s a bit cringey to admit it, but seeing Christmas through my young son’s eyes has re-awakened my holiday spirit. Introducing our son to all the classic holiday traditions has been incredibly uplifting for our family.
For the first time in years, we got a tree. Our son delights in seeing the lights turned on each day. There is such wonder in his eyes as he takes in the beauty of the multi-coloured lights and sparkling baubles. The excitement of opening up the advent calendar each night after dinner never gets old. And hearing our son try to sing Jingle Bells is the very best sound in the world. Instead of rushing through the Christmas hustle this year, I’m finding joy in taking things a little slower. It’s not about presents and Pinterest-perfect crafts, but about setting up traditions we’ll be enjoying for years to come.
Beyond the simple joys found in our household, there is a broader, more collective holiday spirit that I feel a part of this year. It’s fun being approached by strangers who ask my son if he’s excited for Santa to come. All of us adults are in on the secret of Santa Clause. From the Thrift Store Santa to the cashier at the supermarket, everyone is pitching in to make it an enchanting Christmas for all the little kids out there. It’s like a great big game of make-believe that appeals to the child in all of us.
On Christmas Eve, along with a tray of cookies, glass of milk, and engine oil for Santa’s John Deere tractor, we’ll also be leaving out — at our son’s suggestion — a painted rock for Santa. It’s his own little toddler spin on Christmas, and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
— Charlotte Helston gave birth to her first child, a rambunctious little boy, in the spring of 2021. Yo Mama is her weekly reflection on the wild, exhilarating, beautiful, messy, awe-inspiring journey of parenthood.
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