Let me start off by saying I truly am an involved class mom. Whenever it comes to accompanying the class on a field trip or bringing a snack to their class parties or preparing the perfect holiday gift for their teachers, I'm your girl!  

However, what I do NOT look forward to every year is the dreaded 'Holiday Program'.  By definition, this is the event that happens once a year, in December, when our school tries to cram about a million and ten parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and every other relative in between into a tiny cafeteria to see your kid sing ‘Jingle Bells' for all of two minutes... if you are lucky to be able to see over the sea of people in front of you (no matter how early you arrive).  

So, imagine my delight when I found out that there would be no holiday program this year! Much to the dismay of many other fellow parents, I am not disappointed at all- I'm relieved!  That means this year, instead of listening to rude parents argue about ‘their spot’, not being able to breathe because of the amount of bodies packed into the room and having a near-panic attack... I can sit in the comfort of my own living room and listen to my two girls sing jingle bells until the cows come home-- quite comfortably, might I add!

Am I a Scrooge?!  I don't think so. I will still be making a huge platter of Christmas cookies for the class party and will have a very nice gift ready for their teachers. I will have 'Holly' on my XM radio for the next two weeks and sing Christmas carols with my girls until we are blue in the face... while driving around looking at Christmas lights on houses, sipping our Starbucks hot cocoa... and the whole time, we will be together… and they will know that I am HERE, enjoying the moment.

Best of all, I won’t get the dreaded evening bedtime comment of “Mom, did you and Dad hear me sing??? I didn’t even see you!”