Lost Boy

The holidays are already taking over the department stores. It is a sad display in California when they decorate palm trees with lights and hang evergreen wreaths shipped in from thousands of miles away. People are already on edge when driving even remotely close to a mall or mega-store. Egg nog flavored everything is available from milkshakes to lip gloss. All of these sights and smells to take in have us all on high alert making sure we get our due. With our blood pressure high and our hearts racing sometimes we forget the most important things. Matt is one of those things.

At only four years old, this tension is something he can only feel but not quite yet understand. The people all around him are ignoring him but then suddenly and without warning he will have people gushing over him. They all say the reason for all of these decorations and shopping is for him, to make the holidays special for him and the other kids, but he hardly feels like it is.

He gets dragged to the over crowded mall and then shoved into the car loaded up with bags of stuff he is not supposed to look at or touch. His parents get home and immediately send him to his room to keep him from seeing the wrapping process and then three hours later let him in to help pick up the scraps of ribbon strewn about on the floor.

Play time is alone with "Santa Claus is coming to town" playing on the radio for the tenth time today. He is four. Do they really think he believes in Santa? Did they forget he went to the store and was there when the purchase was made?

Maybe it is all for fun and maybe they really think they do it all for the kids. But he saw the kid to adult ratio while trick or treating. Who do they think they are fooling?