It’s the most wonderful time, of the year….
Technically, the longest day of the year is the Winter Solstice. However, as a young mom, the longest day of the year for me was the day before Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve started the festivities, so keeping my brood of four occupied the day before Christmas Eve was a challenge – to say the least. To say they were wired is an understatement. The anticipation. The excitement. The magic in the air!
It was 27 years ago that I penned a column that was published. That began my career as a writer, small-town reporter and columnist. Other opportunities grew, and I was able to add editing to the list.
Life has a funny way of being consistent – and that is, life always changes.
Through tremendous loss came tremendous growth. And, in the career world, as print went digital, I had to change career paths.
I miss my writing days. With support, I have decided to get back to writing – even if just for myself. And what is a better way to do this, than to share what started me on the path to begin with.
I’ll always be grateful to the editor who took a chance with my writing. I’m sure some of you have read this before, and I hope you enjoy reading my first column again. I feel a bit rusty, and I had to call tech support to get my site functional again. Unfortunately, I lost my subscription base. If you are moved to do so, feel free to subscribe again.
Wishing you the peace of the season, and a hearty laugh or smile when you read of my experiences. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve Eve!
“Sugar Buzz,” written and published in The Mirror Newspapers, December 24, 1998:
I know I read somewhere that sugar does not affect children’s behavior. Well, this experienced mother can truly dispute that statement! Any parent who has ever hosted a child’s party or helped out during classroom parties can attest to this fact as well.
But who am I to complain? Growing up, there was always “something sweet” with coffee after dinner. This tradition has carried over to my household as well as those of my siblings. I have a panic attack if we have surprise visitors and there is nothing sweet in the house.
As a parent, I tried to keep my children’s sugar ingestion to a minimum. (I said tried!) All four of them were born with a sweet tooth. Dessert is part of the food pyramid, right? And Christmas is coming, which means – more sugar and goodies.
I honor of all the parents who will try to talk their children into vegetable sticks in lieu of candy and cookies, I lift my cup of cocoa to you. And here’s a tune I penned to “Silver Bells” to get you in the mood:
Sugar Buzz
Sugar buzz, sugar buzz; It’s Christmas time in my kitchen.
Butter rings, fudge and things; Soon kids will be spazzing out.
City children, country children; With their hands gooey-gross;
Keep eating the cookies and junk food.
See them laughing, see them jumping; See them bouncing around.
And they just keep on chowing junk down!
Sugar buzz, sugar buzz; It’s Christmas time in my kitchen.
Angel wings, sugary things; Soon kids will be spazzing out.
Grandma’s baking, candies making; See the kids beg for more.
Mom and Dad roll their eyes – plead for mercy.
Hyper children, sticky clothing; Today’s the year’s longest day…
And tomorrow we’ll start this again!
Sugar buzz, sugar buzz; It’s Christmas time in my kitchen.
Red food coloring, re-fined everything!
These kids just can’t simmer down!
Merry Christmas!
© LynneWrites – 2025
How do you handle – or how did you handle – the anticipation and excitement of the season? Feel free to share in the comment section 🙂
