By Chris Kovatch

I love this time of year. The holidays are such a magical time especially when you get to observe the reactions of kids. Emotions ranging from pure joy to elation to innocence are all present as children experience traditions and take in new experiences during the holidays. The thing I love to see most is the humor that comes along with things kids say or do at Christmastime.

While enroute to the soccer fields recently, Stryker began serenading the passengers in our car. What began as a song I couldn’t place because of his pronunciation quickly became recognizable as The Twelve Days of Christmas. I must say I was impressed by how much of the song he had retained. Though he struggled with phrases such as Seven Swans A Swimming, it wasn’t until he reached his final line that I completely lost it. You see, I never knew the song ended with And a Partridge in a Pantry. Every one in my car was in tears as the song was quite the mash up of correct phrasing and Strykerisms, but when I looked into my rear view mirror that little boy had the proudest look on his face. This youngest of 5 kiddos who constantly is trying to keep up with his siblings was so proud of what he had accomplished.

That’s why I love this time of year.

Decorating is always an interesting time at our house. I have been quite adamant that Christmas lights do not get turned on nor does the tree go up until the day after Thanksgiving at the earliest. The interesting thing is decorations have magically started to appear in our house. Somehow our Elf on a Shelf decided to make an early appearance and has taken up residence on the chandelier above our kitchen table; Christmas lists are conveniently left on my pillow; and my children have suddenly become extremely ‘helpful’ around the houe. While it is my intention for my children to learn the true meaning of the holidays, I must say it is quite fun to see them ‘outsmart’ me and try to bring the holidays on quicker at our home.

That’s why I love this time of year.

Though the holidays do bring stress and I have a number of ‘moments’ where my patience escapes me, I wouldn’t trade these times for anything. I only get so much time with each of my children and honestly none of that is guaranteed so I do my best to make the most of each day. It’s the memories we make and the time we spend together that means the most to me know and will be the things they remember the most vividly as they grow up.

That’s why I love this time of year.