I’m stoked to take my kids Christmas caroling.

In my head, I have Rockwell-esque visions of my little family bundled in our holiday finery strolling around the neighborhood as the snow begins to fall lightly on our earmuffed heads.  As we reach each stop on our musical journey, a cheerful resident throws open their door and greets us with hearty good tidings. I will lead us in song (and in harmony) and the amazed neighbors will applaud wildly before showering us with holiday treats.

My kids need some tradition in their lives. We will not be bringing the ipad to help with the lyrics, I will not text my family a series of coordinates for “flash-caroling”, we will not be singing any “new” carols (if my Grandparents don’t know the words, we’re not singing it- except maybe Run DMC’s Christmas in Hollis because that’s a classic) and there is no way that we will employ any non-acoustic audio enhancement (except for the aforementioned Run DMC tribute).

We will have a thermos of hot cocoa for the kids and a special thermos for the parents.  We will have pockets full of peppermint bark to help us persevere in the toughest of conditions.  We will wear our matching holiday scarves that my wife knitted in between making batches of cookies and sing joyfully into the night as we ride from house to house on our handcrafted holiday toboggan.

I’m positive that this is going to be the best night of my kid’s lives and will start a tradition that will span generations and is certain to catapult us into the same conversation as the Von Trapps.

Delusions aside, I really am excited to take my kids caroling, even though both of them are resisting it with everything they have.  We need some family traditions that don’t involve soccer practice or the internet and it does children good to be embarrassed in front of the neighborhood. Assuming I can pry the kids away from their phones and trick my wife into wielding the pitch pipe, we will be the ones knocking on your door right in the middle of all the best shows.

Now where did I put those thermoses…

Happy Holidays !

Steve