Christmas Through the Eyes of a Two-Year-Old

For the first time Kate is truly excited about Christmas.  We had fun stringing popcorn and decorating our tree with gingerbread boys, oranges, and candy canes, all of which Kate has tasted at some point during the season.  She bit one of the arms off a gingerbread man the first morning after we decorated.  We put that poor maimed gingerbread boy right in the front and center of the tree.  When I asked her at the beginning of December what she wanted for Christmas she said, "A beautiful fly."  In Kate language that means a butterfly.  She knows that Santa wears red and has a white beard and brings us "treats" on Christmas morning.  When we watched selected scenes from The Polar Express she was mesmerized by the images of Santa, the sleigh, and the reindeer.  It was fun to watch her face as all the stories and songs about Santa came together with an actual image.  Taking a page out my sister's book, we took her to IKEA and let her pick out anything she wanted for her grandparents.  She chose an ice cream scoop for Grandpa Larry, some colorful scissors for Grandma Shelly, an alarm clock for Grandpa Woodford, and some little containers for Grandma Woodford.  Rather appropriate gifts, I think.  She will tell anyone who will listen that her "favorite Christmas song is Silver Bells" and she knows every word.  She also loves to sing Rudolph and Up on the Housetop and Away in a Manger.  Her Woodford grandparents gave us a beautiful illustrated song book of Christmas carols.  We sing songs every night before bed and sometimes for hours during the day.  During the ward choir's christmas program she kept asking me when they would sing Up on the Housetop.  She knows that Jesus was born on Christmas day and that lots of animals were there.  I can't believe how fun it is to see Christmas through the eyes of a two-year-old.  It truly is a magical season.