There isn’t anybody in the world I know who loves Christmas more than my 12-year-old grandson, Noah. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday in October, he told me he wanted a new Christmas tree for his bedroom. Last year, as we drove around looking at the neighborhood Christmas lights, we passed one of those houses – you know the one I’m talking about – the house with over-the-top decorations, thousands of sparkling lights, yard ornaments of every kind, Santa and his sleigh and reindeer on the roof. Noah looked at me, his eyes bright and said, “That’s what my yard is going to look like when I have my own house!” I don’t doubt him one bit.
Noah’s obsession with Christmas decorating began when he was about four years old. We would all laugh watching him run around the house wearing his Santa hat and placing decorations everywhere. That obsession has continued to grow every year since then. For months before Christmas, he is on the hunt for ornaments, lights, artificial trees, decorations, you name it. It doesn’t matter what store we are in, he manages to find a Christmas decoration, a candle, or something he can turn into a Christmas decoration that he MUST have.
As soon as Halloween passes, Noah begins asking: “Is to too early to decorate for Christmas? When can I start decorating? Can we go shopping for more Christmas decorations?” And then, he spends hours and hours decorating his bedroom and hanging lights all over the ceiling, decorating the family Christmas tree, placing candles around the room and hanging garland over the fireplace. Every year, he is on the hunt for a new angel or star to put on top of the tree.
Then, he comes to my house to decorate my Christmas tree! He calls me several times to remind me not to decorate until he gets there to help me. And when we decorate, I usually have to hide the candy canes, because they end up in his bag to take home and hang on the tree in his bedroom.
When I asked him why he gets so excited about decorating for Christmas, Noah answered, “It makes me feel happy and it makes everything happier and brighter.” He really doesn’t care much about the gifts he will receive, he is all about giving to others. And since he is very creative, he usually spends a lot of time making Christmas decorations as gifts.
So, as any good grandma would, I do what I can to help Noah share his love of Christmas with others. We spend a lot of time shopping together for decorations. And we decorate – then, we decorate some more. We make Christmas cookies, and then shop again for more decorations! Then, we hit the stores after Christmas to buy ornaments and lights that are on sale!
The true meaning of Christmas is never lost in Noah’s love for making everything shiny and bright. It is my wish that he never loses his youthful exuberance or the shining light that he beams on our entire family as he shares his love of the holiday with each and every one of us. His kindness and giving spirit fill my heart with Christmas joy each and every year.
