Jill's Journal: Oh, to be a kid again ...

I’d love to be a kid again.

After all, those were some of the best days of life. My folks provided a roof over my head, put food in my belly, gave me toys aplenty, a bike to pedal wherever the two wheels could take me, and of course, loads of love.

I wouldn’t mind reliving my teen years, and while I’m at it, my 20s, and beyond have been a pretty good time, too. But there would be one condition if I could go back in time: I would need to know then what I know now, so I wouldn’t make some of those same silly mistakes or not-so-smart decisions. (We’ve all had them – you know, the ones that cost us money, embarrassment, and a broken bone or two.) 

A good friend of mine has long been a fan of Peanuts, from the comics in the Sunday newspapers to the decades-old cartoons that blanket the airwaves every Halloween and Christmas seasons and so on. And so, when she suggested we take in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” play at the Washington Pavilion last week, I didn’t hesitate to oblige.

In the weeks leading up to the play, I may have teasingly mentioned a few times that we would likely be some of the oldest “kids” in the theatre that night. She didn’t care. She loves all-things Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Shermy, Peppermint Patty, Frieda, Violet, and of course, Woodstock. 

As it turns out, the music and the dancing were phenomenal, and who can’t use a little holiday joy to help us through the busy days and weeks leading up to the Savior’s birth, which as we know, is the true reason for the season.

Last week, I’ve also discovered a few of you enjoy being a kid again, too. Take for instance, local Realtor Michael Gross called Thursday morning. He had a half-hour to kill, so asked for a quick read of the first two clues to our Finding Brandon’s Christmas Spirit ornament hunt. He never called back, so as they say in the sport of hunting, “he got skunked.”

A few days prior, Ardell Johnson and her granddaughter, Vivian, stopped in the office. They, too, were interested to know if the ornament had been found yet. That was only week one, and the answer was “Not yet.”

So, if you’re in the spirit of “being a kid again,” check out page 20 for our third clue, and who knows, you may just be the one coming through our door announcing, “I Found Brandon’s Christmas Spirit.”