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Sounds of the Season

From: Raising a Child Who Is Blind and...
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Like many kids, my son is a sucker for Christmas music. Starting with the first blip of a holiday tune heard over the radio, he is literally addicted until January. He wanders the house singing carols all day long. If a radio, or holiday show on TV, is playing in any room of the house, he will track it down. Once located, he will sit, stand, or dance while listening to the sounds of the season.

Eddie doesn’t seem to love every holiday song…and even has a love-hate relationship with a few key ones. For example, “Silver Bells” will turn on an immediate tantrum. Eddie loathes “Silver Bells.” All he has to hear is, “City…” and he is done. Through tears and screaming, we hear, “Change songs, please.” Then, we do it as quickly as possible.

Eddie also expresses his emotions openly through music when upset. He has a stirring rendition of “Jingle Bells” that we lovingly refer to as “Angry Jingle Bells.” He sings it with such malice, that you almost hate those jingle bells as much as Eddie does. The rest of the year he prefers the “Angry Alphabet,” but not in December. At least his angry songs coincide with the right time of year.

In spite of the couple songs Eddie sings angrily, it is really a treat to hear Christmas music coming from him all month. He really loves these songs, and attempts to sing along often. When all is quiet, you can hear his sweet voice singing “Winter Wonderland,” “White Christmas,” and many other classics. This child cannot easily ask for anything using age-appropriate language, but knows every lyric to every holiday song he hears.

New from him this year, are quotes from holiday movies, and particularly catchy one-liners. Some of you may recall Frosty the Snowman saying, “Happy Birthday!” in a very specific way. Eddie has that nailed. You may also have seen the Polar Express with your children. Eddie could have been the voice saying, “All Aboard!” If you ask Eddie about Santa, he will quickly say, “Ho, Ho, Ho!” It isn’t that he’s seen these movies a hundred times; it only takes once for a favorite line to squeeze into his repertoire.

Amidst the bustle of holiday chaos, I enjoy every second Eddie shares his sounds of the season. This morning, I was awoken with a spontaneous request for music. He sat down on our bed and proclaimed, “It’s time for jingle bells.” “It’s time for Frosty the Snowman.” He asks for nothing from Santa and us, but a few choice carols. I will provide as long as he asks; even if we’re singing about Santa Claus coming to town in July.