More of Your Holiday Favorites

OK, today we had an actual nice day here. The temp was probably in the high 30s or low 40s, but it was nice and sunny. Nutmeg and I took the L to the Kristkindl Market at Daley Plaza, where they had a big toy train display, Santa Clause, German food and a bunch of crafts and ornaments for sale. But the thing Nutmeg enjoyed the most was a bunch of kids singing Christmas carols on a little stage. They started off with "Jingle Bells," to which she happily sang along. Every time the kids stopped, she'd ask me, "What are they going to sing next?" And she applauded every bit as fervently as the parents out there in the audience.

I thought it was nice to see her enjoying an aspect of Christmas that "doesn't come from a store," since just Sunday, after meeting Santa for the second time at a family Christmas party, she told me her favorite part of Christmas was "getting presents from Santa." Although it was also pretty cute to see our greedy little girl hovering around Santa's sack, from which she could see a present or two protruding. Santa (my uncle) teased her when her present came up by pretending he couldn't find her, and she was totally taken in, dancing in front of Santa like the Chinese dissident in front of the tank, calling, "Here I am! Here I am!"

I think this is my favorite Christmas since I was a little kid, and it's only Dec. 19. It's been so much fun rediscovering the holiday through Nutmeg's eyes. All the wonder and joy helps me forget that some of her behavior hasn't exactly been Santa's-listworthy lately. She's had several wall-drawing incidents, once with Neosporin when she decided to empty out a tube. When she gets angry now instead of having a tantrum she will often grab whatever she can and throw it on the floor, just because she knows she's not supposed to. But when she's not upset or misbehaving she's been extra affectionate, lavishing me with hugs and kisses. I guess she's in a Jekyll and Hyde phase.