Trains and Magic

The holidays are always a time of year when time warps and wraps itself around experience in a way that seems variable.  Nights are long but short, in a way; days are short but can seem quite long.  And by mid-December we are always wishing for an extra hour or two.  

This year Kristen and I are making a deliberate, persistent project out of making time to sit and enjoy.  And one of the things that is a joy to watch is the kids this year, who are as enthusiastic as ever and now are old enough to help with decorating and preparations!

 Teddy and Pete worked hard this year to get the Lionel O gauge trains around the tree, and have embraced it as theirs.  There is indeed a magic to this, and to trains in general.  I am proud of how they treat things gently and how engaged they are with a 'real' toy - when trains win out over screen time, something good is happening.  

They're doing a great job sharing throttle time, too.  What a pleasure!

I cannot help but be excited about what this is building for them for the future.  Lately I have seen them 'operating' on their setup in the attic, and even doing some recording with their tablet of the operations complete with commentary.  I think that might be a fun thing to dress up and put on YouTube to share some of the joy with the world, as we can all use a bit more of that!  

Make time to sit and ponder this season, and may you find some joy in front of you that you can appreciate too!