baby's third christmas is best...

Any store that sells baby items this time of year is bound to have something printed with "Baby's First Christmas" on it.  Ornaments, stuffed toys, stockings, blankets, pajamas, and even fancy dress clothes are all available to commemorate the momentous occasion of baby's first Christmas.  After that, I'm pretty sure only Hallmark commemorates the successive Christmases. 

This year is my "baby's" third Christmas.  And I would like to argue that I think it is the best one yet.  At the first Christmas, baby is still too little to do more than look overwhelmed by all the lights and fancy trimmings that go along with Christmas.  Depending on your baby's age, there is at least some fascination to be had with the crinkly paper and maybe a box or two.  Parents usually have to open the presents for their little one and try to get the baby to show some interest in the toy for the grandparents' sake before the baby melts down and needs to take a nap.

The second Christmas is better.  Everything that goes along with Christmas is new and magical, the snow, the tree and especially the presents.  Still, after a present or two, it is generally hard to keep the toddler focused on anything much and gift-giving time is generally, again, followed by a meltdown before naptime.

We are only two weeks into Christmas and already my son has made me look at the Christmas world around me in a whole new light.  This year, instead of trying to keep his little fingers away from the tree, he has actually been able to help us decorate the tree (albeit with the "soft" ornaments), to his great and utter delight.  He joyfully points out every Santa and snowman that we see in people's yards and eagerly anticipates the decorations we see on a regular basis.  Some of the displays of Christmas lights that we have come across have left him absolutely speechless.  Every car trip, no matter how short, involves keeping a tally of how many homes have lights for us to see.

The last two years my son has forced us to keep a healthy distance from Santa's lap lest Santa get too scared by my son's screams of terror.  This year, while he still chose not to seat himself on Santa's lap, he did get close enough to whisper to him that he would like a baseball for Christmas (who knew?!?) and to accept a candy cane from Santa's hand.  Speaking of Santa, this is the first year that my son was able to make a specific request of Santa himself.  Other years "Santa" has made a best guess, sometimes even recycling a present to save a dime or two.

This morning we woke up to our first accumulated snowfall, and my son sat entranced by the window for a full 20 minutes, enraptured by the sight.  Though a lot of it melted, I could hardly get him to come inside from our errands because he was having such a good time kicking the drifts.

We have yet to put any presents under the tree or put anything in the stocking so that magical experience is still ahead for my son.  Little does he know the amazing things that are in store for him.  Grandparents, daddy and I can hardly wait for him to see the presents under the tree and find the gifts that have his name on them.

The third Christmas has to be the best because everything is new again, yet he now has the awareness to put all the pieces together.  Next year will still be fun but I don't think it will be the same.  He'll know more what to expect and probably have a lot more focus on the presents he will get than the magic and wonder of everything else that accompanies the gifts. 

I plan on treasuring every moment of this season right along with him.

You can learn more about Melanie's family's Christmas celebration at her personal blog, tales from the crib.  She also blogs for Blissfully Domestic.