The Christmas Tree lighting event had ended and we were mobilizing the kids for the walk to the car.  They had seen Santa, visited with Mrs. Claus, ate numerous cookies, and drank their share of hot cocoa.  It was time to head out and call it a night.

On the way to the car, we were chatting with some folks and the boys launched into an excited stream of banter.  Barely taking breaths, barely taking turns, barely understandable.  This intensity was topped by our 8-year-old son Ben describing in a swirling blend of words and motion how if Santa were ever stuck in a tree, Jolly Old Saint Nick would slash his way out with a candy cane.

As Charlene and I looked exhausted by the show, our company turned to us and asked, “So, is it always like this?”

Yep, pretty much.