Merry Diwali

When I was 4 years old I was desperate for an Easy Bake Oven. I needed it. It was a NEED! I spent many hours daydreaming about all the delicious treats that I could make by just adding water, stirring and baking in a mini microwave for a few minutes. Oh god, I was going to eat so many brownies. You have no idea. Just sit in my room all day baking and snacking. All my dreams. I begged for that Easy Bake Oven. I wrote letters to Santa. I sent so many letters that it was bordering on harassment. Not ashamed to admit it. We all have those moments of weakness. I stalked Santa for an Easy Bake Oven. Finally Christmas came. I couldn't sleep the night before. It didn't help that I could see the Christmas tree in the living room from my bed. I slept with the door cracked and just laid there in the darkness, staring at the tree, just waiting for that jolly old soul to sneak down the chimney with his sack full of brownie mixes and that convenient little oven. Somehow I managed to fall asleep and when I woke up I bolted out of bed and ran with the energy of a toddlers and tiaras pageant queen on go-go juice straight to the tree and began tearing into my gifts. After I had opened every last gift under the tree, disappointment began to set in. Just then my mom reached towards the back of the tree and pulled out a very large rectangular oven shaped box. This was it!!!! I tore off the wrapping paper and screamed with the joy of 1,000 angels when I saw that box.

"Maybe you should open it" my mom said. I shot her a look that said "Better step up off my brownies home girl". But opened the box anyway. I was ready to count the mixes and start planning my baking schedule. The box sure felt light for an oven. Then I opened it and peered all the way down to the bottom of the box and there it was..... a dress. Not an oven. A dress. Inside the Easy Bake Oven box. Not even a single mix packet. Just a dress. I was livid. She was giddy with delight. You think I'm exaggerating but I'm probably not. This was the just the beginning of a new Christmas tradition. The next year I asked for a scooter. Santa left a letter in my stocking telling me that Rudolph stepped on the scooter that was meant for me and broke it so I wouldn't be getting one. I stopped leaving carrots and apples out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve after that and started sending my mom the therapy bills for Christmas.

 We all have these stories though. Similar to the Christmas Story, "you'll shoot your eye out". The gifts we long for and the excuses our parents or maybe Santa gives us for not getting them for us. Who knows, maybe my mom thought I would burn the house down with my Easy Bake Oven or break my arm doing cool tricks on a scooter.

All I know is that I decided a long time ago to never make the same mistakes that my parents made. That's something we all do too, right? Make it our mission to right all the wrongs from our childhood while raising our own kids. So far, Christmas has been relatively easy. Last year was the first year M actually made a list and everything on her list was easy and she was lucky enough to get everything she asked for. Keep in mind she just turned 4 so it's probably about that time, the time for some really interesting requests for Christmas.

A few days ago I picked M up from school and as we drove home I asked all the usual "How was your day" questions and got all the usual "I don't know, I can't remember" responses. Until..... M says "Mom!! Everyone in my class has something that I don't have and it's not fair and I want one too!"

Me: "Ok, well, what is it?" and in my head I'm thinking... if one more 4 year old gets a cell phone, so help me... cuz this mom is not about to buy a cell phone for a 4 year old.

M: "One of the things you put on your head for celebrating."

Me: "Hmmm.... a party hat? Did you have a party at school today?"

M: "No!! It's not a hat! It's a dot!"

Me: "A dot?? What kind of dot?"

M: "Well, the boys don't have them, just the girls. It's from Divali (Diwali)."

Me: "Oh... well... we don't celebrate Diwali honey. We celebrate Christmas instead. So if we start celebrating Diwali then we'll have to tell Santa not to bring our presents."

M gets very quiet and I can tell she's thinking pretty hard about something so I wait. I should probably mention that we live in an area of town that has a very large Indian population. In fact, M is 1 of 2 caucasian kids in her class. There are also 2 African American kids in the class and approx 18 or so Indian kids. So this year has been a bit of a culture shock for all of us, especially M. She's learning some very interesting songs and dance routines. It's practically a Bollywood performance in this house everyday after school. Right now the kids in her class are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali, which is a festival of lights. Many of the neighbors in our subdivision have Christmas lights up right now and have been shooting off fireworks every night for about a week. The temple down the street has been pumping up the jams on the loud speaker and we can hear them partying from our driveway. They know how to party.

Finally M says "Well maybe we can just ask Santa to bring me a dot."

Ok kid. You got me. You win. We'll ask Santa for a Bindi . I was outsmarted by a 4 year old. A very stylish 4 year old.

***UPDATED 12/27/2014***

Santa delivered.