‘Tis the Season (Or ‘Tisn’t It?)
Looking up suddenly from her macaroni and cheese, my daughter boomed, “Merry Christmas!”
Across the table, in his own high chair, my son shook his head, grimacing. “No, Sister. It’s not Christmas yet.”
However, my daughter’s holiday spirit would not be shaken. “Merry Christmas, Daddy! Merry Christmas, Brother! Merry Christmas, macaroni and cheese!”
This time he screamed. “NOOO! No, Sister! It’s not Christmas yet! You stop saying dat!”
(Artist’s Rendering)
Having heard this same interchange about five times throughout the course of the day, I decided it was time to moderate—if, for nothing else, my own sanity.
“Okay, kids. Listen,” I began. “It’s not Christmas Day yet, so Buddy, you’re right. It’s not Christmas Day. But right now, it is Christmas Time, because Christmas is coming. So because it’s Christmas Time, we can say ‘Merry Christmas.’ So Sister is right, too.”
My explanation was greeted with dead silence. I could tell two little sets of wheels were turning. The dog, who was waiting for dropped food under the table, began to hum the Jeopardy Theme.
Then, my son stood up in his high chair, raised his arms (a spoonful of mac and cheese in hand), and shouted, “Merry Christmas, everyone!”
Yes! I’d done it. I’d finally negotiated the end of the Battle of Merry Christmas, and no longer would I have to listen to this constant…
“No, Brother!” My daughter replied. “It’s not Christmas yet!”
Sigh. Why do I even bother?
.
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If not, you stop saying dat.
Twinfamy 
LOL! This is positively wonderful!! I have six year old twin boys with SO many moments like this!!
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Thanks! Yeah, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of these for years to come. :)
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Could be worse. You could be Jewish and the kids could loudly proclaim “Merry Christmas” at synagogue.
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Yeah, there’s always that. Are you speaking from experience?
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No, I’m Catholic. Just sort of thinking out loud (so to speak)
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Hahahaha, adorable! We love banters like this, right? ;)
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Sure do. I don’t need cable–I have my kids.
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You’ll win one day….
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I’m sure I will, but I’m not holding my breath. :)
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The dog! Jeopardy theme… haha! You’ll have to forgive me – the kids are adorable but my own kiddo is almost 17 and somehow the toddler years are lost to me now, but give me a good dog story and I’ll laugh all day.
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Thanks! As long as you were entertained, I’m happy. :)
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I LOVE this post – I have twin 3 1/2 year old boys and there are so many conversations like this in our house. Love your blog thanks for sharing!
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My twins (boy/girl) are now eleven, and they STILL argue over this! Being a pastor, I’ve learned (the hard way) not to intervene too heavily in any debate that is churchy, so I hand it over to my husband to moderate….
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Haha! But is this really a churchy issue? I’ve always felt that if it’s December, saying “Merry Christmas” is fair game.
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LOL! That was so cute and funny :-)
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Thanks so much!
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It’s January 17th. And one of my twins is still saying Merry Christmas to everyone she sees. Her sister tells her “NO! NOT Christmas!” every single time. Some things aren’t worth arguing about so I let them do it.
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Yeah, I hear you. We’ve definitely learned to pick our battles, too. :)
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My youngest is boy/girl set of twins. One is the mastermind, the other the minion. They’ve been trouble for almost 8 years!!!
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