I am the parent of ‘those’ kids. You know the ones. The kids who name a gold fish ‘Goldie’, a stuffed dog ‘Puppy’ or continue to call a doll ‘Bitty Baby’ until it has aged in years beyond a toddler.
Yes, ‘those’ kids, the practical namers. The ones who keep it simple and find delight in torturing their Type A mom who had names picked out for them long before the norm. These are my kids.
One continues to embrace this philosophy with most things, while the other now can go weeks or months before committing to a name for a new doll or stuffed animal. Conversations of ‘I thought her name was Liz?’ only to be corrected by, ‘That name didn’t suit her,’ are not uncommon.
I marvel at the notion of both of them becoming parents and while it is a journey light years away I’m enjoying the entertainment as we go.
Holiday magic is alive, well and in full swing at the Hammond residence.
Christmas trees are up, stockings are hung and the air is filled with talk of Saint Nick or ‘Santa Claus.’ Simply put, things are once again ‘status quo’ as we embrace the beauty and wonderment of the Christmas Season.
In keeping with the ‘magic’ of the Holiday Spirit our home is once again graced by Santa’s helper and our family North Pole Reporter, Shelf. Yes, you read that right; we are the home to Shelf the Elf. A member of the ever popular Elf on the Shelf craze.
Shelf found us when the children were young. I actually had an Elf as a child, but mine did not fly to the North Pole, mine sat stationary on a tree and reported to Santa. I’m guessing his lack of travel had to do with the lack of advanced technology at GPS knowledge, but one never knows.
For readers privy/tortured by an Elf on the Shelf member, I’ll let you in on a secret: once they find you, you can’t shake them. I tried moving, it didn’t work. Tried traveling during the Holidays, yep … he still found us.
It would seem that this magical, mythical creature is very dedicated to his Reporter job. He’s a sneaky one for sure and according to my youngest has visited with other local elf friends when he goes to see Santa.
I still recall a conversation she had with a neighbor friend when they were in pre-school. The two of them could not wait to get to school and share with one another what and where their Elf had appeared each morning. As four-year-olds, they had it all figured out and concluded that the two elves would chit chat with one another about their kids once they reached the North Pole.
As the children have grown older, I’m finding that Shelf is becoming a bit more adventuresome. Perhaps it’s from that visiting my youngest spoke of when he’s up making his report. Perhaps it’s because like me, Shelf realizes that this magical moment in time will not last forever. The day and age of them waking with eyes wide and eager to ‘discover’ does have an expiration date.
Life, I hope, will always keep them excited and wondering. Christmas will always be a time of wonderment and magic in our home. The reality however is that in time things change and with change look a bit different.
For now, for this holiday season and all that continue to bring us ‘Shelf’, I will continue to embrace the wonderment and magic that this pesky little elf represents. I will do my best to grumble less and smile more as my youngest squeals and talks like an over caffeinated teen in the wee hours of the morning about Shelf’s latest antic.
Why? Simple. On mornings that I groan about packing lunches, my guy reminds me of one simple fact … someday I will miss it. That’s where the truth lies. Someday I will miss packing lunches and someday I will miss hearing voices on the other side of my bedroom door in the wee hours. Until then … I’ll just drink more coffee.
Merry Christmas.
Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.
