12 Dec Breakfast with Santa
Yesterday, Mamie and Big Daddy treated Keegan and Audrey (as well as me, Gray, and Alex) to breakfast with Santa Claus at Neiman’s. Alex and I did this every year growing up, and we have been looking forward to being able to do it with the kids. We had a secluded table at the back so Keegan wouldn’t be too exposed. All in all, it went well. Audrey is on a protein craze, and I’m pretty sure she was the only kid present who finished all of her sausage and then some. Sheesh, that child has eaten so much meat in the last week or so, it’s unreal! Keegan enjoyed the Mickey-shaped pancake and fruit. He isn’t much of a breakfast-eater outside of yogurt and a banana, so we were very pleasantly surprised not only with his eating but also with his mostly pleasant behavior most of the time we waited.
Audrey seems rather fascinated with all the Christmas trappings. She can identify Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeers, angels, and baby Jesus in books. She will point to lights and say, “oooohhh”. (Quick aside – Ashley F., this reminds me SO much of Karis’s “so prrrrreeeetty”!) Obviously, this doesn’t mean that Audrey “gets it”. Far from it. But I do love how much she is entranced and enthralled with the entire season. It’s something we have yet to see from Keegan. He can take Santa references in small doses. He adores the classic Mickey Christmas specials and his Curious George DVD, “A Very Monkey Christmas”. Keegan sings part of “Jingle Bells” because Donald Duck sings it in one of the episodes…not because the carol itself brings him joy of the season. While we pray and talk about Jesus all year long, especially at Christmas, so far, it seems they are just words to him. Though his normal speech is scattered and often unintelligible, Keegan’s insanely accurate memory means he can recite rather clearly the Our Father, even if it doesn’t make sense to him. He could take or leave Christmas and has no idea that it could mean new toys on Christmas Day, although new toys don’t necessarily mean much to him either. None of this is for lack of trying. We try to explain it to him in simple, brief ways. Every. Single. Day.
I was aware of Keegan’s Christmas oblivion almost two years ago, but this year, at 4 years old, it seems much more pronounced. At four, I can see the other kids so clearly “get it.” Maybe not the true meaning of the season but the idea, the splendor, the magic, the joy. They make lists; they wait anxiously for Santa. They have Elves on the Shelf and sing carols and hymns in school programs. They know that baby Jesus was born, whether they know why or not. There are lights and decorating and baking cookies and so many fun things to do. It’s the tip of a very, very, very large iceberg with Keegan that I am finally struggling to accept. Over the last two years, the gap between where he is and where others his age are has grown considerably. (We are working on a lot in this area, which I will attempt to update about later this week.) It’s just so blatant at this time of year that it makes it very difficult to really enjoy it. My dreams of sharing so many fun activities and magical memories with my child aren’t possible yet. And that’s heartbreaking.
But back to the post at hand. Breakfast with Santa. Done. Enjoyed. And without too much drama. Audrey was in awe and after some prodding, Keegan gave Santa a hi-five. We ate first and then waited a bit to have a formal picture made. By our turn, Keegan was done, and Audrey had no desire to stop playing with the fun toys she had found to stop for a picture. We did get one that I will try to get Gray to scan at work this week for posterity’s sake. Thank you, Mamie and BD, for giving us this one precious moment of normalcy to this holiday season thus far. It was wonderful.
