Dec. 21, 2005

Driving my car over, walking up the sidewalk and touching the outside of the double doors at McLaurin Elementary, I wasn&8217;t particularly excited about anything.

Once the metal doors slammed behind me, my energy level was already skyrocketing.

You could literally feel the excitement closing in on you.

The school was different Thursday afternoon. I immediately heard happy screaming and giggles from every direction with no shushes from teachers. I watched a fourth-grader running down the hall tumble forward from only her own excited momentum. The smell of sugarcoated cupcakes and nacho cheese chips escaped from many classroom doors.

The Christmas parties had begun.

Over the years teachers have rightfully and willingly surrendered the last couple of days before Christmas break to controlled chaos. Reviewing the multiplication tables when Santa&8217;s already started packing up his sled at the North Pole isn&8217;t anyone&8217;s idea of a merry Christmas.

So Mrs. Tuccio&8217;s class spent the time after lunch and before their party watching the movie &8220;Matilda.&8221; They&8217;ve been reading the children&8217;s book the movie is based on over the course of the semester. (Several parts of the movie are nothing like the book, they pointed out.)

Beyond the last row of theater seating (just their desks), was a junk food spread fit to send any second-grader into full coronary arrest. I&8217;m not sure how the much older arteries of the fourth-graders withstood the clogs.

There were three trays (two kinds) of cupcakes, three pizzas, numerous bags of chips, two types of dip, cookies, meatballs, fruit, candy and a jar of olives.

Mrs. Tuccio was overwhelmed with food, but said the kids had all wanted to bring something.

On top of all that, each child took home two different treat bags and a fun size bag of chips.

That&8217;s the life.

They ate, drank (juices and Cokes), were very merry and left a thin coating of icing on most of the desks.

I&8217;m not really too worried about any lasting health effects &8212; they barreled out of that classroom so hyped up that I&8217;m pretty sure they ran off any excess calories.

School&8217;s out now &8212; all of them &8212; and everywhere I look I see bouncing, running, yelling children. Excitement is boiling inside their little tummies and they just can&8217;t contain it. (If you don&8217;t believe me, go to Wal-Mart.)

It&8217;s contagious, and it should be.

Even us mature adults need an excuse to explode with excitement once a year.

The fourth-graders have long had their wish lists made out. Denisecya already knows she&8217;s getting her nails done for Christmas.

Tristan wants a dog, clothes and a scooter.

Kenneth wants a Gameboy Advance and clothes. Kelvin wants a go-cart.

And Jimmesha, &8220;I just want my parents to be happy.&8221;

America&8217;s given kids plenty of reasons to be greedy at Christmas.

A material world means a money world, and adults are greedy. But when kids like Jimmesha can still see through it all and want something worthwhile, something Santa can&8217;t bring, it shows there&8217;s still some hope left.

And well beyond the reach of Santa&8217;s hands is Jesus, the true hope and the real reason to party. Bring on the cupcakes and the nacho cheese chips.

Oh, and crank up the Santa tracker, it&8217;s getting close.

Julie Finley is the education reporter for The Natchez Democrat. She writes a weekly column based on experiences with Marty Tuccio&8217;s homeroom class at McLaurin Elementary. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or

julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com

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