Thursday, December 24, 2009

Explaining Christmas to One Confused Kid


We’re back from Disney World! Thankfully we left just before the place started getting really crowded.

The trip went great, plenty of sunshine, hardly any rain, and was an overall success. My wife and I were concerned about experiencing some major breakdowns since our daughter went without a nap for well over a week. But thankfully no major incidents except for one very odd thing that happened, which I’ll write about at some other time.

One big thing we do every year there is attend something called the Candlelight Procession at Ecpot. Which is rather nice show of tradition Christmas music with local youth and church choirs from around Florida and some celebrity narrator. Our celebrity was Whoopi Goldberg.
When Whoopi was talking my daughter somehow figured out that the baby everybody was talking about was the same Jesus that's dead and bleeding on the cross. During the performance she yelled at the wife and I, “Oh no! They killed the baby!!”
It seems like since we’ve been back I'll I've been doing is answering questions about why they killed the baby.
In addition to that, thanks to her preschools downplaying of Christmas and up playing of other holidays she’s been asking us where’s our Menorah candles at home and who are we celebrating Kwanza with.
For the record we don’t celebrate Hanukkah but have lots of Jewish friends and co-workers that do, and don’t even know of anybody that celebrates Kwanza.
That didn’t stop her from explaining the seven principles to others and singing to them a few Kwanza songs.

I had no idea they has songs now. Most of them sound remarkably close to Christmas songs.

I’m just waiting until Festivus gets so mainstream that they end up teaching that in preschool as well. I’m sure preschoolers would enjoy the “Airing of Grievances” (“I hate it every time you play with MY toys!”) and the “Feats of Strength” wrestling the head teacher to the classroom floor on the circle time mat.

Anyway, whatever you celebrate: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Umoja Kwanza, Another Festivus Miracle, or Happy Birthday.

10 comments:

Jack Steiner said...

Festivus is destined to be the religion of the masses. Just you wait.

Anonymous said...

Merry ChristHanuKwanStivus!

nonlineargirl said...

The part that really has me confused is why people from Los Angeles would travel to Florida for Disney. Having lived in both places I can't imagine it.

SciFi Dad said...

Merry Christmas.

(Our solution? Christmas stories include the Nativity. Easter stories are about bunnies and chocolate only.)

ArtistUnplugged said...

Wow, I have missed a whole lot of news!!!! Congrats on the building of your next child!!!!!!!! Congrats on your wife earning her MBA....that sounds like a huge relief, hurrah to all of you. Ewwwww, good luck with the explanations for the torturing death of the baby sweetly lying in a manger...do not envy that one at all!!! I started a new job Dec. 1st, awesome timing AND my art has begun to sell, hectic is not a strong enough word.

Sam said...

My child practices "Airing of Grievances" nearly everyday.

Amrita said...

Tony, what your Princess said is absolutely true;They killed the baby". The Bible says truth shall be uttered from the mouths of babes. God bless your daughter. Grace and peace to you all.

Otter Thomas said...

I would like to once meet someone who celebrates Kwanza.

11111111 said...

I showed my kids "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" to teach them all about Christmas.

Creative-Type Dad said...

Denguy -- That's the one with the dentist Elf right?

Otter Thomas -- I think you're more likely to find somebody that celebrates Festivus first.