“Run! Run! As fast as you can. You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man.”
Maddi came home from school yesterday telling me about this new story she heard at library time. No detail was left out in her retelling of how the Gingerbread Man ran away from an old man, an old woman, a horse, a cow and a few farmers…until he met up with a sly fox.
“Yeah,” Maddi paused, with eyes serious, “this is where it gets worse.”
With a smirk, Maddi recites what the Gingerbread Man tells Mr. Fox, “Run! Run! As fast as you can. You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man. I have run away from an old man, an old woman, a horse, a cow, a few farmers and now I will run away from you.”
“What?” asked Mr. Fox, “I can’t hear you, come closer.”
This conversation repeats itself about five times (literally) and at this point I’m wondering if there is any way my daughter can speed up the story. With eyes gleaming Maddi shares what happens last when the Gingerbread Man gets quite close to Mr. Fox and then SNAP! Maddi lets out a contagious giggle delighted with her rendition of a fable she has just recently learned. “I guess he was hungry!” she concludes.
Run! Run! As fast as you can is a perfect analogy for my holiday season. What am I running from? And what am I running to? Is there a sly fox in my life that distracts me? Are there things during the holiday season that trick me into unnecessary purchase? Why am I in such a hurry that I don’t even have time to listen to my daughter’s story?
Take time.
Slow down.
Eat a gingerbread cookie or two.
Don’t let Mr. Fox SNAP you out of simple Christmas Joy.
