#VALERIE 9S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS TREE FULL#

Completely nonchalant.My kids are getting to the age where they don’t want to tag along with us on every little errand we run anymore. “One…” she said.Īnd out of nowhere, Trip said, “Two, three.” He has only ever said the word “Go.” That’s it - that’s his only word.īut last Friday, his teacher was counting something. Also, change seems to be the only dependable constant these days, so I am keeping an open mind to the fact that with this guy, anything can happen.Īfter all, Trip is going on five years old and has been nonverbal his entire life. But I do love that material things don’t matter to him. So no, I’m not holding my breath that Trip will ever run downstairs on Christmas morning, squealing that Santa ate the cookies we left out, or jumping up and down that his stocking is full. Maybe he’ll always be confused by unwrapping gifts. Maybe his words will come someday maybe they won’t. And when I’m singing along to Christmas carols on the way to school dropoff, or strategically decorating only the top half of our tree (because Trip will chuck all of the ornaments off the bottom), he may think I’m a total weirdo, but he sees that I’m smiling.

If it doesn’t matter to my kid, then what’s the point? Well, the point, for me, is that while Trip might not get it, he gets me. Honestly, it would be way less of a hassle for me to just ditch Christmas entirely, forget the decor, forget the lights, forget the tree.

And while those feelings do crop up for me, most of the season, the holidays are a time of reflection, gratitude, and holding close what matters the most - loved ones - especially in this absolute disaster of a year. And he knows that.Ī post shared by Lily Burns recognize that the holidays are often stressful, and overwhelming, and the nights can end with a little bit too much spiked eggnog and family, er, banter. Trip is happy when those around him are happy, and there’s just something about Christmas that makes me happy. His preschool teacher sent me a video of him nonstop belly-laughing during Circle Time just because another student had started laughing first when I read to him a book about a little girl who was stuck in a tree (for all of five seconds before a friendly bear helped her down) Trip was visibly upset that the girl was stuck. The things that I associate with Christmas? Those are just things. Trip may not comprehend the gifts/decorations/books/movies/ornaments/songs parts of Christmas, but he feels the essence of the holiday spirit. I know that sledding is Trip’s definition of joy, and that getting family members together is comforting and makes him feel safe. When he gets up in the middle of the night, like he does every night, the first thing he does is turn on the Christmas tree lights.

#VALERIE 9S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS TREE FULL#

I don’t know the full capacity of what Trip understands, but I do know this: Trip likes sitting by a fire when it’s cold out. There will be no elf on the shelf for me, what a pity (she said sarcastically). It doesn’t matter if he can’t tell me what he “wants” for Christmas. It doesn’t matter if Trip doesn’t understand the movies, the books, the presents, or the belief in Santa. A post shared by Lily Burns reason the holidays are “the most wonderful time of the year” is because of the feeling - the magic.

Valerie 9s magical christmas tree