It's two days before Christmas, which means many of you are making your (packing) lists and checking them twice (to make sure your bags are not overweight).
I'm spending Christmas at home with my own little family, my parents and my sister this year, so I won't be braving the highways or the airports, trying to go over the river and through the woods.
Chanel New Items BagsBut many of you are hitting the roads or taking to the skies, and I have been in your shoes often enough to know that travel can add mountains of stress to an already challenging time of year.
Which is why I had to smile -- and you might, too -- when considering the recent antics of my 4-year-old son during a visit to the Salt Lake airport.
My little boy went with my wife and me as we took her brother to the airport to fly home after a brief visit to Utah. As my wife pointed out, it soon became clear that the same parts of the traveling experience that cause dread, impatience and anger for the average business or holiday traveler filled my son with delight.
It started when we reached the check-in counter. My son was fascinated with the machine that scans luggage and the conveyor belt that whisks bags away into the bowels of the airport. He giggled as he talked about the scene in the movie "Toy Story 2" in which Woody, Buzz and friends enjoy an adventure on such a conveyor.
The experience was especially noteworthy for him because pictures of Woody and Buzz were on the cowboy boots he was wearing. How cool is that!
Then we moved on to the long security line, as we were accompanying my brother-in-law to the gate. I hate waiting in lines, but it was all fun for my son.
Coach Fake HandbagsFirst, he ran up and down the line, near us, running his hands along the straps that separated the various parts of the queue, laughing the whole time.
I was dreading removing my coat, shoes, belt and various other items to go through the metal detector, but my boy giggled again as he slipped off his boots and put them on the conveyor. He slid through the detector on his stocking feet, which earned him a smile from the security worker.
Naturally, my son was thrilled when we stopped at a food vendor and bought him a cup of hot chocolate. He didn't seem to notice me grumbling about what I felt were exorbitant prices.
As we walked toward the gate, he was filled with wonder at everything he saw: the people, the colorful luggage, the airplanes taking off and landing just outside those huge windows. Best of all, there
embroidered patches was a play area for children with various toys, and he couldn't wait to visit it for a few minutes once my brother-in-law was safely on the plane.
My wife and I left the airport talking about how fun it was to watch my son as he made what could have been an otherwise dreary trip to the airport such a fun, exciting event.
Don't get me wrong. I know that travel, for adults, is almost always stressful at best and infuriating at worst. Especially this time of year.
But my 4-year-old reminded me that there is something cool and amazing about the fact that we can get in a car or hop on a plane and, in a few short hours, be able to spend time with the people we love.
He knows already how to find joy in the journey, not just the destination. That's a lesson I'm hoping
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