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My Holiday Season Wins and Fails with Toddler Mark

First Hot Chocolate, Ottawa, December 2014

The holiday season is in full swing, and even though I am the self-described “mother who sucked at Christmas,” I’m trying to get in the mood. Sort of.

So here are our holiday season wins and fails so far.

Mark had his first hot chocolate, the kiddie size at Starbucks. He repeatedly said “no” (while drinking it), proclaimed it “hot” (he has just discovered the hot/cold concept) and then walked around Chapters telling everyone he was drinking “coffee” (I got several strange looks from concerned strangers).

I’ve seen enough mall Santa Clauses for a lifetime. Mark claims he is “scared” of Santa Claus, yet he drags me around the malls to find the ubiquitous Christmas tree and Santa. Then he stands there, as close as he can, and repeats “scared, scared.” My son is a masochist.

I participated in Reddit’s huge “secret Santa,” just for fun and because as a freelancer, I don’t get to be part of any office party or celebrations. I mailed my gift to Japan where it was received. However, my secret Santa never followed up, so I’m out of luck with a gift. I’m thirty-one and I’m disappointed like a five-year-old. Secret Santa fails.

I told Mark Christmas decorations and lights were “hot,” so that he would stop touching the freaking trees in stores and at the mall. Now he touches and pretends the “hot” lights burned him. And I have to blow on the imaginary self-inflicted “bobo.” Again, this kid is a masochist.

I took Mark to a kid’s Christmas party where he had pizza slices and gingerbread cookies. He met Santa and, of course, he was “scared” (he accepted his gift, though).

I wrote and mail my Christmas cards. This is a tradition I enjoy, there is something special about paper cards. I’m old-fashioned, I love snail mail, putting stamps on envelopes and writing addresses.

At night, I listen to Iggy Pop and Heartless Bastards very loud just to purge my brain from all the sickly sweet Christmas music that plays in every bloody store. I bet Michael Bublé is the music they play in the elevator going down to hell to torture people.

Surprise, surprise, we will have a white Christmas. We had a major snow storm mid-December and the snow banks are already pretty tall, I doubt it will melt by then. It’s pretty alright, I just wish snow was warm and fluffy like… you know, cotton.

Lindt chocolates. I love seasonal Lindt chocolates. Not the big balls, but the mini ones. As your average dumb consumer, I fell prey to the “for a limited time only” and “perfect for all your holiday indulgence moments” marketing ploy. I indulge myself and I stocked up. (At least I don’t commit crimes, unlike the Australian who held people hostage in a Lindt Chocolat Café in Sydney recently.)

I’m using my coffee addiction to play the seasonal “Starbucks for Life” contest. I have yet to win anything, not even a small daily prize. Fail.

The new trend here is apparently giving your beloved vehicle a “Christmas costume.” I saw several cars sporting a Rudolph-the-Red-Nose-Reindeer plush “nose” attached to the grill and antlers slipped on to the windows. It’s… weird. Because let’s face it, there is a big gap between Santa’s sleigh as depicted in books and your average GM Chevrolet Silverado.

I bought Mark his first Advent Calendar… and I realized he knew most numbers. Like he can find “2,” “3,” etc., up to ten, and name them too. Must be his Chinese genes because I clearly remember opening the wrong “window” when I was a kid (and asking for more chocolate, but Mark does this too—his French genes).

How is your holiday season going?

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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