Several years ago, before we seriously discussed having kids, AH and I purchased a highly collectible Christmas ornament that held deep sentimental value for us both, representing our 10th anniversary. Over the years we've collected hundreds of unique, fun, and special ornaments for our tree(s) (AH says I need a 12 step program) but never had we spent anywhere near the couple hundred dollars we did for this one. It is irreplaceable.
Then came the boys, so we tucked the ornament away in the safety of our closet for the past two Christmases for fear of losing it to a mishap at the hands of our little Tornados. They would not have known what the ornament meant to us and honestly wouldn't have cared.
This year the ornament has been brought back out, proudly displayed on our living room tree along with other treasured ornaments including some from my parents and grandparents' trees.
Our boys are not any less rambunctious than they've ever been, in fact our house feels more chaotic than ever. The difference is the boys have begun displaying more caring, compassion, and even generosity in the past several months. They are fully connected, sincere, loving, and more worthy of our trust every single day. So we've loosened the reins and they have risen, for the most part, to our expectations. They are now mostly "just boys," as opposed to the "feral children" we brought home just before Christmas two years ago.
They understand and value each other, us, and people in general. This year I bought an assortment of holiday trinkets for them to put in gift bags for their classmates. We all sat down in the family room with the goodies sorted into piles and had a grand time assembling the gifts. They were SO EXCITED to be giving gifts to their friends, and just too cute as they handed them out on the last day before the holiday break.
So this year we decided it was time to bring the ornament back to the tree where it belongs.
There is certainly a possibility that it will be broken, if not this year then in the years to come. But of greater value to us now is having our children understand, value, and empathize with other people. We see them showing compassion, sharing sorrows and joy, and being connected to those around them.
Yes, the Christmas ornament is just a material thing, but if the ornament were to break they would understand the feeling of loss that AH and I would have, but more importantly they would CARE.
