For me, it’s the little hand in his front pocket. It’s such a grown up stance. One part who he’ll be and one part who he is. I could have stayed in those toy aisles all day with him. We looked at every single toy. I took pictures for him of the things he really wanted and sent his parents pictures of the aisle numbers where the most important things were. I stopped all my grown up stuff and just entered into his little world for an hour or so. I let him push every button and pull every lever. I never once said, “We look with our eyes not with our hands.” I just put my grown up self on the shelf and just hung out with him. I don’t remember if I ever did that with my own kids. I think I was always in a hurry. I’m sure I was. There was always an agenda as a parent, but as a grandparent things are a little different. The only agenda is to be there. To show up. To soak it in. My husband and I joke sometimes about moving to Florida. We’re pretty sure there’s a little pink bungalow there with our name on it. White fence out front and a little Pomeranian peeking through the front curtains. Maybe two bicycles under the car port. The one with a basket is mine. We could go down to the beach with our neighbors everyday to watch the sunset and eat fried shrimp for dinner at four in the afternoon. But, we’d miss it all. Days like this day. He held my hand through most of the store and was enamored with the Legos. He knew just what he wanted to get his daddy for Christmas. And his little brother. He’s kind of a big deal. Don’t get me wrong, the next time I am making his sandwich wrong or his little brother is screaming as I’m trying to zip him into his swaddle I’m sure a beach scene will flash in front of my eyes. Maybe even a couple of umbrella drinks. But ask me if I would want to miss seeing his face when his family opens the presents he picked himself and the answer is absolutely not. Actually, I’m hoping if he gets this one particular toy we saw he’ll let me play too. Turns out you get to be a kid again when someone calls you Grandma. Especially at Christmas. Thanks buddy.