My tween boy said he wanted to decorate his room for Christmas.

He said, “You know how you used to hang the ornaments in the window?”

“Yes,” I said. “Like a long time ago. You probably were in kindergarten.”

Actually, I was surprised.

I haven’t done it in years.

But he remembered. I used to stand up on a chair in our sunroom and use silver fishing line to connect the ornaments so it would almost be invisible from far away. Then, I would tie them in the window blinds. It was a pain, but it looked pretty when the silver, sparkly ornaments would hang along the windows in our dining room.

He remembered them so much he told me about them, in detail. He liked them and thought they looked cool hanging there during December.

This Christmas, my soon-to-be-teen said he wanted the extra ornaments to decorate his room.

I said okay, and left him to it.

He sat on the floor of the living room.

And he did the same as I had in Christmases past.

I Hope My Grown Kids Cherish Their Childhood Christmas Memories As Much As I Do

He gathered his supplies including the teal scissors and the shiny silver and red ornaments.

He sat quietly and tied little knots as he strung along the ornaments.

The evening carried on nearing bedtime quickly, like some evenings go.

When I went to say goodnight, I didn’t notice his handiwork because it was dark.

In the morning, after he hustled off to school, I went to drop some laundry in his room and I saw his decor.

He hung the ornaments above his bed.

They were perfectly and thoughtfully hung. His room was decorated with hands that now belonged to my emerging teenager, yet still captured the childlike wonder of the Christmas season.

And I was in awe.

I snapped this photo because I was in awe of him as he welcomed the season with Christmas ornaments evenly spaced and hung perfectly above his bed.

He remembered the little things we did to celebrate and decorate Christmas joy.

Then I was reminded that every new holiday is an opportunity to build on memories from Christmases past.

I hope every year he keeps the excitement shining bright about welcoming the holiday season.

I hope he knows how much fun it was.

And more importantly, I hope he knows how much he is loved.

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To you, this might look simple

To me, it’s a reminder that parenthood is delayed gratification.

You never know what memory will pop up from all of the little things that you do to make things bright.

The memories from yesterday and today will be the joy for tomorrow.

And when it does, I hope it will be gold and your heart will be warm and full of love.