Dear Callum,

Strangely enough, you claim that winter is your favorite season. Maybe you’re overly romanticizing the fun of snow, or maybe you don’t remember the drudgery of managing snow pants and boots at school since you did online school last year. Anyway, for some reason, you think winter is  great. Your dad is pretty intrepid about walking to school with you and Tobin in the morning, though the two of you are not as enthusiastic. Your opinion on winter might sway as you trudge up the hill to school on snowy sidewalks.

You were very excited about getting our Christmas tree. We named it Gene-Gene the Evergreen, and we had a good trip to Wilson’s to pick it out. We also enjoyed some tasty apple cider doughnuts and brought home a four-pack of cider to drink while we trimmed the tree, so it was a good experience all around. I’m reluctant to get presents under the tree too soon, because you and your siblings can’t keep your dang hands off of them. In fact, I had a Timehop memory this morning that showed three-year-old Callum removing all the presents from under the tree and arranging them on the rocking chair. You and your siblings (especially Tobin) were so excited to get some present under the tree that I let you wrap your sibling presents. There may only be three down there so far, but it does add a jolly air to the room.

The sibling presents are a tradition in which I take you all to the Hobby Corner, which is a local shop that sells toys and games for a variety of ages and interests. They usually have items that appeal to each kid, so you draw names and wander around with your siblings. When something interests you, you point it out to the sibling who’s buying for you, and you have to pay attention to the preferences of the sibling for whom you’re buying. The goal is that each kid will have several suggestions so there’s still some element of surprise. It’s something you all seem to really enjoy doing, and it lends a special excitement to opening gifts on Christmas morning.

A less fun event this month was your formal allergy testing. We’d been holding off on doing that until the worst of fall allergies had passed, because you have to be off antihistamines for several days before the test. Hey, I just realized that maybe that’s why winter is your favorite season: it has the lowest level of allergens. Spring is just miserable for you, and fall also causes trouble, as well as summer to a lesser extent. Winter is your reprieve season. As long as we keep your skin well-moisturized to ward of the eczema behind your knees, winter seems to be a pretty comfortable time for you.

The test determined that your worst triggers are outdoor allergens. We already strongly suspected tree pollen, based on the timing of your symptoms, and the test confirmed that birch and oak are your worst offenders. You also reacted to many of the other outdoor allergens, like ragweed, mulberry, mugwort, and outdoor molds. The good news is that you didn’t have much reaction to indoor allergens, like dust, indoor molds, or animals. We got the test done right before Thanksgiving, and the knowledge that you’re not allergic to cats let you feel free to make good friends with Uncle Mark’s cat, Boris Florence. I assumed that you’re allergic to cats, since both your dad and I are, but it seems the genes didn’t shake out that way. Now you want a cat. I do not want a cat, but I suppose you have permission to cuddle with BoFlo.

You’ve been interested in Asian foods and using chopsticks lately. I think you must watch YouTube videos about people eating spicy ramen, because you really wanted to do that. We went to a local Asian market and picked some out, and you did not get very far into eating them before you bailed. However, you’re getting very good at using chopsticks. You use them for the expected things like stir-fry and noodles, but you also like to eat Scooby Snack cookies with them. I suggest using them to eat Cheetos to keep your fingers clean. Sometimes you don’t finish the lunch I pack you for school, so maybe I should stick a pair of chopsticks in your lunch bag to make it more appealing.

School in general continues to go great. You’re tender and empathetic, and I’ve found you tearful before because you witnessed someone else’s pain that had nothing to do with you. That empathetic quality has its upside, though, since you’ve made good friends in your class. You’ve even become good friends with a kid you were nervous about, because you had a negative run-in with him at baseball last summer. Any tension between you seems to have totally evaporated now. You scraped your knee at recess a week or so ago, and in telling me all about it, you mentioned that he was the person who took you to the nurse’s office. Your teacher is wonderful, and your conference was excellent. You’re excelling academically, and I am so proud of you for how well the first chunk of the school year has gone.

Your current favorites: the Humphrey book series by Betty Birney; your special drink blend with varying centimeters of orange juice, lemonade, and Kool-Aid; your fuzzy lined jeans; your new library card; watching The Great British Baking Show with me; using the iPad in your room; Bakugan toys; waffles; pizza; and cuddling up at bedtime for stories and chats. You’re loving and affectionate, and picking you up from school is the best part of my day. You’re almost always happy and excited and ready to tell me all about your day, and hugging you and hearing your thoughts is a great pleasure.

Thanks for all your sweetness, my little pup.

Love,

Mommy