Ryan Trares
The big day is so close to being here.
And yet, in the world of an 8-year-old, so far away.
Earlier this month, Anthony kept asking us how many days until Christmas. We’ve counted down on his Advent calendars and figured out exactly when Santa Claus will be sliding down our proverbial chimney.
On one hand, the short days seem like nothing at all. After all, December seems to have flown by, filled with festive events and get-togethers that made the first half of the month disappear more quickly than St. Nick up the chimney.
We hosted our annual Christmas cookie party earlier in December. Friends and family packed into our house for a night of festive fun. The kids sat at a long table, carefully slathering sugar cookies in the shape of snowmen, stars, trees and stockings with frosting in all kinds of colors. There were sugar sprinkles, cinnamon imperials and more to decorate each one, and the kids got to pack them in a to-go box for home — they ones they didn’t cram into their mouths first, of course.
While the children were hard at work, the adults stood around drinking grown-up hot chocolate and nibbling on a tree-shaped charcuterie. Carols played in the background. It truly got the holidays off to a joyous start.
We kept Anthony busy, with the subsequent weekend including a movie night, sleepover and pizza party with his buddy. So it’s not like the Grinch is keeping away all the holiday spirit.
But the anticipation is getting to him.
We’ve tried to preach patience, telling him that Santa is watching, but it’s hard. It doesn’t help that his decided to push winter break until after yesterday. It seems strange to me to have Christmas-crazed kids sitting in the classroom on Dec. 22, but we’ve explained that it’s the schools’ decision, and we have to respect it.
Luckily, Anthony got a bit of a holiday preview last weekend. We headed to Ohio to celebrate Christmas with the Trares side of the family. A whirlwind couple of days included stops in Toledo, Sandusky and Cleveland, seeing family and friends for good food, a Great Lakes Brewing Christmas Ale and, yes, some presents to open too.
Big laughs and big meals are a Christmas tradition with our side of the family.
And sure, Anthony had to come back to Indiana for five more days of school. It’s hard enough for me, as a grown-up, to downshift from holiday fun to focus back on work. His second-grade brain takes it hard.
But there’s a couple hundred lights at the end of the tunnel. Dec. 25 will be here before we know it, and with it, a full-blown Christmas extravaganza.
I just hope Santa appreciates Anthony’s hard-earned patience.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal in Franklin. Send comments to [email protected].
