We've already decorated our house for Christmas.
Actually I put up the tree at 7pm on October 31st after all the trick or treaters.
And no, we're not sorry about it. 😂
My wife and I have always loved Christmas.
The decor. The lights. The blow ups. The music. The movies. Just the overall feeling that comes with this time of year.
There's something about Christmas that brings out the kid in both of us.
Until January hits and it’s just cold for no reason… but that’s for another day.
Now that we have a son, Christmas feels different now.
Growing up, Christmas was always something to look forward to.
It wasn't necessarily about the presents.
It was the little things.
The Christmas tree lighting up the living room.
Hearing Christmas songs on repeat.
Watching the same movies every year.
All the Christmas goodies.
And Spending time with family.
Things that might have seemed ordinary at the time but somehow became some of the memories we look back on most fondly.
And I think that's what nostalgia really is.
It's not always about remembering exactly what happened.
It's about remembering how something made you feel.
Now, as a dad, I've started looking at those memories a little differently.
Because the things I once experienced as a kid are now things I get to share with my own son.
One of the things I'm starting to appreciate about fatherhood is how it changes your perspective on experiences you've had during your upbringing.
Take Christmas for example.
For years, my wife and I have loved this season because of the joy and nostalgia it brings us.
But now?
We get to create that feeling for someone else.
And sure, our son might be too young to fully understand what's going on right now.
He might not remember this particular Christmas.
But that's not really the point.
We're starting to build traditions.
Little things we can do together as a family, year after year.
And hopefully, one day, those traditions become things he looks forward to just as much as we do.
Maybe he'll get excited when the decorations come out.
Maybe he'll have a favourite Christmas movie we watch every year.
Maybe he'll grow up wondering why his parents insist on putting the tree up as early as possible. 😂
Whatever it looks like, I hope Christmas becomes a time of year that brings him the same warmth and excitement it's always brought us.
This week’s Rep:
Think back to something you loved about the holidays growing up.
Was it a certain movie? A family activity? Decorating the tree? A meal everyone looked forward to?
Now think about how you could bring a little piece of that into your own family.
It doesn't have to be anything big.
Pick one small tradition you want your kids to grow up remembering.
Maybe it's something you carry forward from your own childhood.
Or maybe it's something completely new.
Either way, the goal isn't to create the perfect Christmas.
It's to create moments worth remembering.
Because someday, the little things we're doing today might be the very things our kids look back on with nostalgia.
And I think that's one of the coolest parts of being a dad.
We're not just reliving the magic anymore.
We're getting to pass it down.
Until the next one dads,
John Guevara