McMinnville Gets Festive

(This one's for my little lieberschlebin)

Here he is, three parts curmudgeonly old man, one part explosively enthusiastic six year old boy. The person who used to be my baby. If you're worried that my German is really bad, let me put your worries to rest: I don't know a lick of German. I made "lieberschlebin" up. It's what I've been calling him affectionately, among other things, for years.

Before Max came along, we were not the decorating kind of folk. We barely kept a Christmas tree. Usually it fit on top of a coffee table. But you have to do a little bit for the kids, right? Everyone knows that. So slowly we have been getting more and more in the spirit of things. It wasn't until Max was two that lights showed up outside on our house and they looked like the lights in the picture above. We like to keep things simple because we're not particularly famous for putting our decorations (or anything else, for that matter) away. We would like to keep the lights situation as is.

But this is how Max sees our future in Christmas decorations. The kid has Liberachi tastes with a punk spirit. Interesting. On my way home from the store tonight (I was working late on the windows, pictures will be posted very soon) I rode my bike around the neighborhood looking for over-the-top Christmas scenes to post for Max. I also realized that this coming week-end we are going to have to all get on our bikes together before Max's bedtime to ride around and see all the Christmas fanatics' lawn decor together.

I don't actually spoil my kid all that much. We bribe him with power bars all the time (it's his only source of protein besides peanut butter, but we don't let on to him that it has any nutritional value at all) and other sweet things because his tremendous sweet-tooth really comes in handy when we want to put the screws on. Sometimes we give him small things like a toy from the dollar store which breaks in three minutes. Or a Hot Wheels car to get him in the right mood for a boring day of errands. Yet we really don't shower him with expensive gifts except on his birthday and Christmas. Nor do we let him do whatever the hell he wants. We let him do a lot of things that other parents don't let their kids do, like dangerous sports and watching scary movies. But we don't let him think he is the star of our universe at any time but snuggle time.

So it is with some wonder that I hear myself agreeing to let him get some sort of cheesy lawn ornament and getting a flocked tree. Luckily for us, no one in McMinnville sells flocked trees. (quiet celebration here) But about the lights...how on earth can I hold out against his enormous enjoyment for decorations? I still don't care for them but I admit I love to see him so excited about something other than video games and watching the dog and cat fight.

In case anyone reading here doesn't know it, I do not buy stock in that whole "kids are so preciously innocent" crap. Kids can be mean, manipulative, little agents of evil, and they really are quite primal which means they experience sexuality, hunger, the urge to hunt, and the instinct to survive. They often KNOW what they're doing, they just aren't sure what will happen when they do it as a consequence. Everyone can believe what they are comfortable believing. But what I've seen of kids since having one is that they are just immature adults. They aren't otherworldly beings and it's dangerous in my opinion to put them on an unrealistic pedestol.

Anyway, this is a time of year largely celebrated for the benefit of children. What I was trying to get at with all that primal stuff is that more often than not I see in the kids around me little beings who are very aware all the time. It's hard to see them being free of learning their life lessons, which they do all day, every day. When kids get excited about decorations it comes from a place that is so much more beautiful than their excitement over the prospect of presents. (Which, believe me, Max has grave interest in too.) So when Max gets transported by the wild lengths people will go to to outshine their neighbors and impress the kids in town, I love it.

I'm terrified that before he leaves for college our front yard will start to look like this. Because Max has made it very plain that this is what he plans to do. (Just as soon as he has money.) I find I don't want to stop him. I think Philip does. But this wonderful Liberachi side of my son is so funny, so surprising, and so much fun to appease.

If there is any way to make the holidays less about presents and more about fun and joy and sharing, it's right here. This monstrosity of lights is providing something more lasting than legos which, though we will play with intensively, the dog will eventually get to. It gives the holidays a more magical and uncommercial focus. Isn't that what most parents want now-a-days? Best of all? It will be what Max remembers when he's older. The festivness of his childhood.

This here is the house Max loves the most so far. I couldn't even begin to capture it's full glory with my little cannon camera. Because this baby wraps clear around the corner. Top to bottom. So while it's not really a mystery where Max gets his curmudgeonly side, this little part of him that wants the whole world on fire with fairy lights is the best thing of all to get me in the mood for the holidays. It's one of the best parts of being a parent. It doesn't make me feel like I am a kid again (thank god), rather, it makes me feel that I have the power to give simple magic to another being in a complicated world.

Today Philip bought Max his first light-up lawn ornaments. It just might be the start of something big.

(Matt fox: you'd be proud of him, he got his first taste of lights from your enthusiastic style while we lived right across the street from you. Watch out though, this kid just might out do you.)