Makeshift Story: December just got real.

Having a snack and catching up on the New Yorker

Holy moly. It seems that I forget from year to year how intense the month of December can be. Or maybe it is just that as the kids get older, the intensity level ramps up a few more notches. But here we are, barely on the other side of week #1, and it feels as though we have packed enough in to be calling it January. Now don't get me wrong - I'm actually not complaining. Tired, yes. Overwhelmed? Maybe just a tiny little bit. But honestly, this is a very fun time of the year. And this was a hugely fun week, and I think that as the excitement and activities build, the comings weeks will just get progressively more enjoyable.

Juniper teaches Linden to play checkers. It didn't end well.

So, as you may recall from last year, the Solstice Fairies show up every single night (every night!) from Dec. 1st until the 24th to bring a little note for the kids (yes, to those keeping track, that does mean that there is at least one day that the Solstice Fairies call it quits, and Clark and I step in. Clearly, none of this was actually fully worked out when the tradition began). Anyway, sometimes the fairies bring a little treat or present, but much more often, it is a suggestion for a fun activity. I was looking back at last year's selection (which I documented with extreme fastidiousness), and I realised that last year was very, very different for us. Linden was home with me full time, and Juniper only went to preschool a few mornings a week. This year, Linden is at preschool, and Juniper goes to Kindergarten all day, 5 days a week. So - all that time we had for fun and imaginative adventures is suddenly drastically reduced. This puts those hard-working fairies in a bit of a creative quandary. So far, however, they have managed to only bring treats twice, and have filled in the gaps with a family dinner out, some ornament making (at our awesome next-door neighbour's house! Bonus!), some holiday house-decorating, and some holiday card-making. Oh yeah, and also a random gift from the emergency gift stash. Whew!

Ornaments made and hung

On top of all the fairy shenanigans, there was, of course, the weekend. Weekends in December are, generally speaking, completely ridiculous, with all of us making difficult choices about how much we can cram in, and what we're going to have to skip. This past weekend, we opted for the ever-fun Renaissance Fair (where we picked up our beautiful yearly wreath - pictures to follow as soon as we have it up on the house), and the Christmas Parade. Oh, parades. To be fully honest, I'm not the hugest fan of parades. Especially the (sometimes) tacky, freeze-your-butt-off, never-ending Christmas parades. (This MIGHT have something to do with the years that I spent as a member of the Fredericton City Concert and Marching Band). And the Falmouth Christmas Parade, I learned, boasts the distinction of being the "biggest small town Christmas parade" in Massachusetts. It also has a huge number of really scary clowns.

Liz and a super cute penguin watch the parade

I forget how, exactly, but last year, I managed to avoid the Christmas Parade entirely. Clark, brave soul that he is, gallantly trudged off with both kids in tow. This year, however, was a different story. This year, Clark and Juniper were IN the parade, riding bikes with the bike lab that Clark volunteers for. There was a manger theme going on, and therefore Clark was to go dressed as a shepherd, and Juniper as a lamb. Juniper, of course, was stoked, knowing the kind of celebrity status that comes with being one of the parade members. She wondered aloud the night before whether being in the parade would therefore mean that she would also "be in a movie" (?). Clark was also totally game for the whole thing. Linden was keen to see some big trucks, and I... put on a cheerful face and some warm clothes, resolved to silently cheer on those brave marching bands with their happy tunes and cold fingers.

Decorating the bikes

After the flurry of piecing together costumes and decorating the bikes in the morning, we all set off in just enough time to carry out our plan. It was a bit convoluted, but manageable: Linden and I would drop off Clark and Juniper (and their bikes) as close as we could get them to the starting point. We would then circle back, to park and Ben and Liz's place (a 15-or-so minute walk from the end of parade). Liz and Linden and I would then proceed to find a spot to watch Ben and Clark and Juniper make their Falmouth Christmas Parade debuts in the manger biking group (and all the other fabulous parade stuff), and then we'd all find each other at the end and somehow make it home. Easy peasy, right?

Finishing touches

Things started to unravel a bit when we got to the drop-off point.

"Oh, no!" Clark exclaimed. "I forgot the bike paniers!"

"Well, we can't go back now", I pointed out. "The parade is about to start, and you still have to get your costumes on and your bikes together, and find your group".

"But - Juniper's mittens! And all the snacks!" he replied, sounding a little bit panicked.

"OK, here, take half of Linden's snacks, and my gloves. Gotta go!"

Linden and I were off. One minute later, my phone rang.

"Tara, I forgot my costume"

"What? Well then, Clark, I guess you'll just have to be the 'normal guy' in amongst the manger people"

"No, no - it's not just my costume, but also my helmet. I can't go biking without my helmet, for goodness sakes".

After quick phone consultation with Liz, we moved on to plan B. Plan B involved the following:

a) I drop Linden off at Liz's, so that they can try and still make it for the beginning of the parade.

b) I then go all the way home and get the missing mittens, costume, and helmet (seriously?)

c) I drop all this stuff back off to Clark and Juniper, who, knowing that they will not make it to the beginning of the parade, have positioned themselves at a location where they hope they will be able to join up in time to still participate.

d) I weave my way back to Ben and Liz's house, and then walk as fast as I possibly can to try and find Liz and Linden, and to catch a glimpse of Clark and Juniper before they reach the end of the parade (assuming that they even made it in the parade in the first place).

The result? Seconds (literally, seconds) after I dropped the stuff off, along came the bike group. So Clark and Juniper joined them as though they had planned it that way. As for me? After run/walking the whole way from Liz's, and pushing my way through all the throngs of people on the sidewalk, I see the bikers come down the street! (incidentally, 1-2 minutes later, I would have missed them completely). I whip out my camera, take a couple of shots (and a video), and then keep on walking until I meet up with Liz and Linden. Success! Shortly thereafter, Clark and Juniper (now off duty), double back and find us, and we watch the rest of it together. So, in the end, the whole thing was not nearly as disastrous as it could have been. Not in the category of "super duper fun", or "decidedly stress-free", but it was a story with a mostly happy ending.