19 Local Kids Teach Us Holiday Spirit 101

LocalKids1220

December 2020
by Erin Cline


The sweet homey smell of freshly baked cookies and savory meals. The heartwarming feeling of snuggling into soft blankets with hot cocoa while watching favorite holiday movies. The sound of conversations and laughter rising and falling around family and friends as they make new memories. The whimsical sights of twinkling lights and festive decorations transforming the ordinary world into a wonderland.

Needless to say, the holiday season has arrived! And along with it, a Q&A session with 19 local kids to help us turn up the excitement and nostalgia this month.

Kids are, after all, the true Holiday Spirit 101 instructors.


They are the possibility seekers and imaginative performers dancing and singing around us. Kids allow their curiosity and creativity to roam freely, guiding their imaginations into extraordinary, fantastical realms, where dreams seem as though they might as well be realities. (And maybe, at least partially, they should be.) And with zero shame, they act out their visions with excitement and delight!

Their mindsets and actions are constant reminders of the importance of imagining magical scenarios (and believing in them), savoring fun and meaningful moments and being fully alive. We could use more of those qualities in the adult world—the untamed, playful thinking skills, the ability to believe wishes really can come true and the desire to thrive in the present moment, enjoying everything it can offer.

Kids are the underrated teachers, the greatest gifts the world continually receives. They remind us to play. They remind us to be curious. They remind us to imagine. And most importantly, they keep us young.

Allow the following words to revive the vibrant passion of being young, wild and free, inspiring a joyful holiday season—a vibe we all could use more of right now!

Here’s what the kids had to say…

What does Christmas mean to you?
Juliet, age 3: “A snowman.”
Jonas, age 5: “Snow! Santa Claus. Olaf, all of the snowmen. And a Christmas tree.”
Walker, age 8: “Being happy and celebrating.”
Gideon, age 8: “It means a lot to me. It’s the day that Jesus was born,
and it’s the day I get presents. We get to see our family.”
Aliza, age 9: “I think of Jesus’ birth, of presents, and I think of decorating
the Christmas tree and watching Elf...and eggnog.”
Camille, age 11: “Peace, Joy and Eggnog.”

If you could invite anyone (living, passed away or fictional)

to your holiday dinner, who would it be and why?
Sloane, age 3: “I pick Ms. Stephanie (teacher) because she is cool and pretty, and it’s her birthday.”
Remy, age 4: “I pick Porter because he is my best friend, and I love him so much.”
Charlotte, age 7: “Pappy, because he died before I was born… so I never got to talk to him, and I never got to see him. I only got to see him in like old videos and pictures, but I actually want to talk to him.”
Gracie, age 10: “Jesus because He’s the best thing ever.”
Zachary, age 12: “If I could invite anyone… I would invite Vincent Van Gogh.

He might paint something for us, and we could sell it for millions.
Plus, it would be awesome to eat with one of the greatest painters in history.”
What’s your favorite family tradition during the holiday season?
Abby, age 9: “My favorite Christmas tradition is finding my elf every morning.”
Eva, age 9: “My favorite Christmas tradition is making gingerbread houses,
decorating Christmas trees and having Christmas parties.”
Violet, age 12: “Seeing family. I like when my aunts come to visit.”

What do you want Santa to bring your mommy and daddy for Christmas?

Emery, age 3.5: “A big present! Like, a unicorn!”
Marlowe, age 4: “Spooky Jack-in-the-Boxes!”
Rylee, age 6: “I would want him to get [them] a bike!”
Jameson, age 6: “He should bring a robot that does everything like the dishes,
the laundry, and pick up the whole house.”
Avery, age 9: “I want him to bring my Daddy a Mustang and my Mommy Christmas stockings and stuff to put in them. I know it drives [her] crazy that every time we have a new baby our stockings don’t match and we have to get new ones.”

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