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Pleasures of the heart, the sweet nothings, the idyllic window to being
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Christmas Storytelling
Emboldened by the joy of a past summer, I decided to host one more storytelling session just before the Winter Holidays. After much thought and deliberation, I chose my all-time favorite: A Charlie Brown Christmas. This story has always held a special place in my heart, but even more so in today's world.
In the story, Charlie Brown struggles to embrace the holiday spirit, yet his unwavering love for his friends, family, and beloved dog Snoopy shines through. It speaks to each of us at different stages of life, reminding us of the power of community and the importance of caring for those around us. It almost felt as though the story called on me to share its warmth with the children.
I always enjoy adding a little creative flair, so I thought of incorporating a craft to encourage active participation. I settled on making snow sledge ornaments from popsicle sticks. But, realizing that the hot glue gun might be too tricky for the younger kids, I decided to pre-make the sledges for them to take home and imagine their own snowy adventures.
As the children arrived around 5 pm, they shared their special Christmas stories. Some were original, others inspired by what they had read, and soon it turned into a lively, heartwarming discussion. After I finished the story, we snuggled up to watch Frosty the Snowman—such a warm, fuzzy, and kind tale of the season.
It was a beautiful evening spent with the kids, ushering in the winter holidays. The next day, one of the children came back, rang the bell, and asked my son if we were planning another storytelling session for New Year’s. That, I believe, is my true renumeration.
Storytelling
After a lifetime of pondering and procrastination, I finally took the plunge. You see, I had always harbored a deep desire to give back in a meaningful way. My heart longed for the connection with fellow human beings, the satisfaction of listening to inquisitive minds, the joy of being attentively listened to, the pleasure of animated and copious conversation, the delight of shared laughter, the thrill of collective wonder, and the quest for shared discovery. All these needs coalesced when I finally mustered enough courage this summer to conduct storytelling sessions for the kids in my neighborhood.
My journey began with countless deliberations about the age group and the choice of stories. After a hundred internal debates, I finally dove in and crafted a poster. Once it was up on the community notice board and in our neighborhood app, there was no turning back. I had officially thrown myself into the ring.
The first week saw me pacing frantically in my living room, meticulously planning for day one, only to flop down in discouragement at the lack of sign-ups. But then, slowly but surely, registrations began to trickle in. By the penultimate day, I was overbooked.
Day one arrived with 9 registrations, and 7 eager kids showed up, ready to listen to "How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head." It was a blast! Originally, I had planned a lineup of 5 stories for 5 sessions throughout the summer, but the kids had other ideas. They changed everything on the very first day.
As I spun tale after tale over the next five sessions, I found myself growing alongside these young listeners. In one session, the youngest of the group shared, "Hot air balloon mere sapne me ayaa" – "I had a hot air balloon in my dreams" – after we had told the story of "Zarafa." We discussed the stories we loved, the ones that amused us, scared us, emboldened us, and made us kinder. In the end, I felt like I learned more from them than they did from me.
