On The List

My kids are so weird.

Like many children, as Christmas draws near they dream of what they might find under the tree on Christmas morning. If I ask them they are full of suggestions. They have lists and they are only too happy to share those lists with me. Scraps of paper, often fully and colorfully illustrated, are waved under my nose, requiring immediate inspection. Gift receiving occasions are few and far between in this house. I always expect my children to make the most of the opportunity and have yet to be disappointed.

Topping this year's lists?

A cactus, an alarm clock, and a pomegranate.

Oh yeah. I would have guessed those very things. Don't all kids deep down in their hearts wish for a cactus? No? Huh...

That darn cactus has shown up on the twins' lists for a few years now. I'm still not entirely sure just what they find so appealing about cacti, but there it is. Maybe it's because they were born in Texas? Perhaps love of spiky desert plants was infused into them  by the Texas air I breathed while they were in utero? I have yet to fulfill this wish. You see, my children touch things. I'd rather not spend all my time trying to remove almost invisible spines from their tender fingers.

I do understand Brendan's desire for an alarm clock. He likes to get up before everyone else and have a little time to himself. So do I. That is the reason he will most likely not find an alarm clock under the tree this year.

Pomegranates are tasty. They are pretty. They are fun to eat. They also fit nicely into my budget. I think I can manage this one.

Such funny wishes. They do like toys, music, and books as much as any other kid does, but those things are lower on their lists. I must admit, they come by it naturally. I once told a Christmas party Santa I wanted a pillow for Christmas. I have no idea why I said it. My poor mother. Santa just looked at her. Pitiful.

I wonder what that Christmas party Santa would think of my children's Christmas lists.