And here comes Christmas...

While the nameless horror was happening in my native country, on the other side of the world, it was Saturday the 14th November. And we had promised our little girl to go and watch the Christmas Pageant.

So we were about to leave when I received this text from my friend: “Are you following the news? Do you know that there are attacks happening in Paris?”

No, we weren’t. We were getting ready to go to a Wonderland.

Flo turned the news on and the shock got us.

We had to go though so we left, the ears stuck on the news channel. And we went to the Christmas Pageant.

When we moved to Adelaide a couple of years ago, this Christmas Pageant welcomed us one week later. Wooza, I couldn’t believe it!! There was a parade celebrating Christmas in my new city, that was the best welcome ever!

Christmas, my favourite celebration…

I had never seen such a thing. Apparently, it is the largest event of this kind in the whole world, attracting thousands and thousands of people.

It is really exceptional. And now that we have a child, it is really magical.

But this year, we weren’t 100% into it.

Flo spent the whole time with his phone on his ear, listening to the news.

I tried to focus on the happiness of the moment in order to take my mind off what was happening far far away at the same time. I tried to be as excited as my little Slo, but a part of me was somewhere else.

I was happy. I was sad.

Happy and sad to see all this joy and amazement on my child’s face. My poor innocent child. How I wish she could stay like this forever. How I wish I would be able to protect her from the monstrosity of the world forever.

She had sparkles in her eyes the whole time, totally in awe. The look on her face when she finally saw Santa… Priceless.

The tradition wants you to put your Christmas tree up on that special day. So we went back home and we started the fun.

I know it sounds early, but after all, is it such a bad thing? Slo was so, oh yes so happy when I asked her if she wanted to decorate our Christmas tree… And her happiness is all that counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s too early. A bit of fun and magic has never harmed anybody.

I want to make my kids dream.

I want them to remember their childhood as magical.

And awesome.

I want to do everything to protect them as long as I can. And I don’t care if people think that I raise them too kindly and that I am not strict enough. Because I completely agree with this quote from L.R. Knost: “It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless”.

Yes, I want to believe that my kids will grow up in a safe and happy place.

Merry Christmas everyone.