Christmas Kids in America

Yesterday was the annual kids' Christmas party at the Legion, and I'm not going to lie: this is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. It's your typical community holiday party -- music, singing, audience participation, Santa Claus, gifts for the kids, hot dogs -- but there's something special about this one. Maybe it's because so many Big Family Events happen at the Legion, for some reason, or maybe it's just that it's one of those parties that doesn't pretend to be any more than it is. It's just a fun little party, and we have a good time.

I got a bunch of really nice pictures yesterday, including pictures of all my cousins and my cousins' kids on Santa's lap, but not my own kid, because Shae would have none of it. No way, no how. We agreed in advance that she didn't have to sit on Santa's lap, just give him a high five, but that didn't work. As soon as she saw him, she tensed up, and by the time they called her name, she was latched onto G for dear life. He couldn't even put her down for her to take her present herself.

But of all the pictures, I like these two best, of my cousin Brittany (top) and also Haley and Bianca, who belong to two of my cousins. These don't even look like they come from a Christmas party, do they? One of the last songs that the afternoon's entertainment performed was a medley of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "God Bless America" -- this was at the Legion, after all -- and they asked for kids to come out and help out the "choreography" by waving flags. It was really charming, even to my embittered old jaded and sarcastic soul. Kids + flags = instant adorable, even to us Communists.

Well, of course there were naughty elves. Isn't that sort of de rigueur?

But, yes, we had a lovely time, and now today we are at home doing laundry and trying to find the rest of the presents that need to be wrapped. No luck so far -- maybe things will be better after a restorative nap?