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1-year olds: They prefer crumpled paper to presents.
4-year olds: They beg for glass ballerina ornaments. “They’ll break.” They beg. I cave. (It’s Christmas.) Of course, they shatter.
10-year olds: We decorate in order: angel, popcorn, candles, candy canes, ornaments. After dark, we watch candles flicker and melt away, singing “Silent Night”.
16-year olds: Their friends come to see the candles. “Won’t it catch fire?” I’m 59. It hasn’t yet. Entranced, they sing, forgetting their phones.
24-year olds (2020): We connect— from DC, Santa Barbara, Donner Pass — over Zoom. Even with candles, it’s not the same. COVID sucks.
I can see the moments… I love this.