The first snow storm of the winter arrived a few days ago. It was no big deal, we were just on our way to The Magical Christmas Forest that we bought expensive tickets for, two months ago. Of course, if the Magical Forest people canceled the event, then we could get a refund, but otherwise, no refunds would be given. And, you guessed it, the Magical Forest people did not cancel the event so we found ourselves trekking through the treacherous snow to get to Santa. But don’t worry, The Magical Christmas Forest is only 3 miles away, so with the heavy snow and the 92403284 car accidents in our way, it only took us about 2 hours to get there. Like I said, no big deal at all…

As you can imagine, I wasn’t in the best mood when we finally go there at 8:30. (Did I mention the event ended at 9:00?) I think there was steam actually coming out of my ears and there were definitely tears coming out of my eyes. But, once we finally got there, I did what all moms do and I sucked it up. As far as my kids knew, we were at the real  North Pole (thanks to a special short cut mommy and daddy figured out) and they were going to see Santa. I mean, how could your kid’s excitement for all things Christmas not cheer you up?

Of course it was cold, cold, cold, just like you would expect during a snow storm, and Canadians do this weird thing (okay, maybe just weird to someone who spent 10 years in endless summer) where they hold outdoor events in the dead of winter, but surprisingly, it didn’t really matter. I think because it didn’t matter to my kids, who couldn’t believe that they were finally at the real  North Pole, so how could it matter to me? We excitedly walked through Santa’s workshop and down the snowy path to Santa’s house where there was no line because we were pretty much the only ones that didn’t give up on the dream amidst the storm. The kids excitedly sat on Santa’s lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas. (Of course, they both mentioned something they never mentioned before and Mommy Claus had already finished all of the Christmas shopping, but oh well, this mommy will figure it out like all mommies do.) Then, we continued on our way to the sleigh ride, where again, there was no line and we were the only family on the ride.

After all of the outdoor activities, there was supposed to be indoor activities, but because it was so late, they had already packed most of that up. However, we did manage to make a gingerbread cookie and some reindeer food before we headed home. And, as you would imagine, all the traffic had cleared and the roads had been plowed so it only took us about 20 mins to get home. And whats even better, we called the Magical Forest people, and they let us come back a few days later to do all of the crafts and games we missed out on the first time around.

I wonder how many more times I am going to throw a tantrum for no reason? When our kids do it, older and wiser moms tell us that the tantrums won’t last forever, but I think I disagree. For some, they don’t last forever. My husband never freaks out, he would never irrationally decide to just ditch the car and walk the rest of the way in 3 feet of snow like I wanted to do. He never cries about money that might be wasted. He never stomps his feet and yells at the snow for falling. He doesn’t throw tantrums anymore, but I do. I do it over and over and over again, family outing after family outing, I throw a fit because things don’t go as expected, but they almost always work out. Sure, I would have preferred to get to the Magical Forest in 10 minutes flat and spent 3 hours walking around in much warmer winter weather and I would have preferred to not go back 3 days later to finish our outing, but maybe then, it wouldn’t have been so magical for my kids. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt like the real  North Pole. And maybe, I wouldn’t have had this chance to reflect and grow and learn that I need to just trust that   in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

We survived the snow and cold, we got our money’s worth, and my kids took a trip to the real North Pole that they will never forget.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

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