***This was our "Without Words" photo in our op/ed pages this week. Cute, huh?
There’s a lot to enjoy during the holiday season: lights, food, music, decorations, family time, shopping, etc. But at the same time, there’s a lot to dread: winter driving, crowded parking lots, family spats, shopping, etc. So much stress is dedicated to this one time of year. Nothing embodies the combination of good and evil in the holidays better than the school Christmas program.
For the kids, preparation begins months in advance, nearly as soon as school starts. And they better like music since that is pretty much the whole show. Then the school staff gets involved. There’s making programs, setting up chairs, and putting up enough decorations to make the tired old gym sparkle just for one night.
Preparation is often a time-consuming task for the parents as well. It means more shopping, and an outfit to buy before Christmas. Unfortunately, in the child’s eyes, the Christmas program outfit does not count as a present. It’s a separate line in the family budget. It could take a while, but once the perfect outfit is located, the work is finished until the big night. After the child squirms through a hair style, it’s time for the clothes. Dressing a child in one of these fancy outfits definitely is not a solo task. It requires a team effort to work though all the buttons, zippers and bows.
Then there’s the matter of getting there. Even if there’s no snow or ice to battle, parking is a challenge in itself. It’s funny how everyone believes there is an open parking spot close to the door. Somehow they miss that everyone else is leaving the area to look else where. After circling fruitlessly for 15 minutes, there are two choices: park illegally or far away. I hope most choose the latter. If not, I hope there is a cop and tow truck nearby. Nothing is more annoying than being parked in by someone who chose to invent their own spot.
If a parent is lucky enough to get a seat on the chairs or bleachers, the seating will rival the comfort of an airplane seat on a commuter jet. Except, the Christmas program seat has one third the leg room. But be grateful. Those running late will stand.
By this point, one might wonder why parents even bother after a year or two of this holiday fiasco. Some might even swear they’re not coming back as they struggle to move their elbows without jabbing a neighbor.
But then the kids step on stage, and the result is magic. Innocent voices singing carols melts away all the anxiety and soon parents are lost in the pure world of a child’s Christmas. For an hour or so, we forget the hassle it took to get them there and just appreciate how nice they look and how their voices sweeten the air. The magic will fade after it is over as parents fight traffic to get out of the lot they fought to get into. But it’s enough to last until the next concert.
Those who say Christmas is too commercialized, too hectic, too stressful and barely worth celebrating should take in a children’s concert this season. Hey, it worked for me.
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