I see others in the herd daily. We’re rushing, we’re frantic, we’re unnerved. We rarely make eye contact with each other because really, who has time for pleasantries at this point?
We’ve got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. Two weeks to be exact. Well, less than that – really it’s 13 days. We’re like a nervous group of accountants waiting for April 15 but instead of Uncle Sam, we’ve got a different white-bearded man looking over our shoulders.
What looks like a simple errand is really a stepping stone in the overwhelming task to make Christmas magic happen. We have little hearts (and lots of extended family) waiting anxiously to see what’s in store the morning of December 25, and we refuse to fail.
I mean, really, how could we fail? We’ve gone the extra mile to make sure we don’t fail: we’ve channeled Santa himself this year.
We’ve put reindeer antlers up on our cars. We are our very own one-horse open sleigh.
From the decidedly uncool, yet totally practical minivans to our much cooler SUV sisters to the eco-friendly hybrid girls, we are an unyielding team. We see others scoff at our jingle but we don’t care – we do it for the kids (well, that’s our MO – we also think reindeer are kind of cute. Oh, and for just one month a year, it is kinda nice to recognize our cars in the sea of minivans and SUVs).
It takes a confident mom (or dad) to pimp out her ride with a little Ho Ho Ho magic. That first day in early December when we debut the antlers, we’re not gonna lie: it’s a wake-up call. We are definitely no longer young and free. We are part of Santa’s team.
We get a few stares from teens or young adults and quickly realize that when they smile, they’re actually snickering at us, not trying to be polite. Oh well, we carry on and stay focused. We’re professionals – they can’t steer us off course.
The minute we get used to the new appendages, a 70-degree day makes us want to quiet the kids in the back with a little fresh air. Plunk. Plunk. There goes our jingle. Our kids start crying and we start making promises we know we can’t keep – we’ll get a new reindeer set. Promise. Today. Or maybe tomorrow. Just when we have time in between baking, wrapping, coordinating, and buying.
Then the days whiz by and all of a sudden we feel the power that comes with just that one shiny red nose – forget the antlers. We finally get why Santa chose Rudolph. Sure, our car magnets scream “soccer moms” but the red nose gets things done. That teen that once scoffed at us is now moving out of his way when he looks in his rear-view mirrors and sees our shiny red noses up his butt.
Move aside, young lass. Rudolph takes no prisoners on her way to Target.
So to the rest of my reindeer sisters: good luck, Godspeed, and may the magic of the red nose be with you. Only 13 more days until we can relax knowing what’s left undone is in the hands of a fat man in a red suit (yea, that didn’t make me feel any better either).
Oh well, let’s keep our antlers up and our noses lit (OK and maybe ourselves once we’re safely home). And, let’s not forget to stay on course, reindeerettes!
