If you were a holiday, which one would your kids say you were, and why? My 13-year-old daughter, Lindsay, answered: “You would be Halloween, Dad, because you’re scary when you get mad.”Lindsay’s reply was part of her Christmas gift to me last month. She had been stumped about what to give me, so she settled on a little “What I Love about You” book. The most creative part was that she had to fill in the blank for 50 reasons why she loves me. The book was intended for a romantic couple, not a child-parent relationship, which added to the difficulty. But that did not stop her Mad Lib prowess … [Read more...]
The Superhero Who Visits Santa
The problem with being so kick-ass is that business as usual gets forgotten. Case in point: my son dressed as Captain America to see Santa and it was incredible. But in all the hubbub, Santa never asked what he wanted for Christmas.There was a moment of near-tears. But I reminded my son that he can write Santa a letter and we’ll mail it off.I know I wrote about this back at Easter time, but it’s worth saying again: I love that my son dresses up like a superhero to see Santa every year, and I love that it’s something we do together.Also, this year was so awesome that I actually paid … [Read more...]
Christmas Wishes for My Children and Yours
Editor’s Note: City Dads Group is proud to occasionally feature writing from members of The Handsome Father, a support community that helps connect, prepare and inspire gay fathers. In this piece, Patrick Roth writes about the Christmas wishes he has for his children.Always strive to see the good in the world. It’s easy to read the headlines of the day and see only darkness. There is hatred, intolerance, corruption and destruction all around us. But there is also love, acceptance, honesty and creation. The good outweighs the bad in big and little ways every day. Neighbors offer their … [Read more...]
Santa: He Sees You When You’re Speeding …
I was driving my kids and family to take a Polar Express-themed train ride. We were all dressed in pajamas, including my six-foot-three father – because that’s what you do for the Polar Express. You wear pajamas.I was worried we would be late and, apparently, I was burning a bit of rubber. About 20 miles from our destination, we got pulled over. The officer saw us all in pajamas, laughed, gave me a warning, and told me to slow down.Three hours later, we were ending the train ride and Santa appeared and took the time to talk to all the kids.He got to me and asked what I wanted for … [Read more...]
Christmas Card Brings Melancholy with Merry
We received our first Christmas card in November. The cover was a photo of the family, all snow and smiles, with a piece of pretty paper tucked neatly inside listing all of the impressive accomplishments that each family member had impressively achieved, followed by their equally inspiring hopes for the future. Everything was positive and cheerful, the treetop glistened, the children listened, and it was just like the one I used to know (according to the chorus).
I had to check the postmark to make sure it had been sent in 2016.Christmas isn’t what it used … [Read more...]