Joy, Joy, Joy!

My original title for this post was 'Scrooge vs. Joy-Boy'.

Joy-Boy is my three-year-old. Though he would win a temper tantrum contest, hands-down, he is also one of the most enthusiastic little people I know. The other day, while I was folding laundry, he found his 'big boy' pants.

"Look, Lightning McQueen!" he shouted.

When he lifted Lightning McQueen out of the basket, who did he find underneath?

"And Thomas!"

The more laundry he removed from the basket, the more surprises he found. I was watching a happy reunion between a boy and his clothes.

"... and bones pants, and rocket pajamas, and...."

Who knew laundry could be so fun?

Joy-Boy is also the one pointing out all the Christmas lights whenever we are in the van. With wonder, he describes everything he sees. 

"Wow! Rainbow lights! And a snowman! Those change colors! Cool!"

Last week, he was so excited, he exclaimed, "I feel like Christmas is on Monday!" And he has been gently pointing out the fact that WE don't have lights on the outside of our house.

Well, who is Scrooge then, you might ask. And if you're a parent, this is an easy one. It's me, of course! And many parents feel the same way.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, but the commercialism, the inundation of presents, the stress of celebrating, the obligations of being at so many places on so many days... over the years, it's gotten to me. Right before Thanksgiving, I brace myself for the holiday craziness, and bunker down until it's all over. (parents, I can see you nodding your heads)

Happy sounds fill the air. Glittery, shiny decorations are everywhere I see. We sing 'Joy to the World', but where's MY joy? During this beautiful celebration of our Savior's birth, why am I not celebrating?

Joy-Boy is setting a great example for me to follow. And this year, I'm letting the kids take the lead so I can learn a lesson or two from them. Their enthusiasm about the littlest things, their generosity when it comes to giving, and their great desire to share this joy ("Can we go caroling to our neighbors? Please?!" "Umm, no, because it's nine in the morning!") is rubbing off on me. I feel like the Grinch, looking down on Whoville, and feeling my heart grow within me. And though I can't change how others celebrate Christmas, I can change the way I do it. 

With JOY!

(Tangent: Did I ever tell you that 'enthusiasm' is one of my favorite words? Dissect it down to its Greek roots, and you have en-theos, which means 'in God'. According to Wikipedia, the word 'enthusiast' was originally used to describe "a person possessed by a god." Isn't that wonderful?)