Brown Skins and Santa

Last night my daughter and I went to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the famous Radio City Rockettes. It was a fun show with amazing choreography, great songs and beautiful costumes. While I will suggest that it becomes a family holiday tradition to go see the show, I won't remember it fondly year after year for any of the above reasons. No, it will be because of my perceptive and inquisitive 5 year-old.

"Look, mom, there's a brown skin," she said excitedly. A few moments later - "There's another brown skin...wow!" She was referring to the two beautiful African American Rockettes. You couldn't miss them, as they were the chocolate brown legs doing those eye high kicks. The first time she said it, I acknowledged her excitement. The second time, I cringed...not because I was embarrassed at what she said, but because she was really LOUD. I used it as a teachable moment, and quietly talked about how great it was to see these women, and that she, too, could be a Rockette or anything that she chose. This amazed and inspired her, and she insisted on "kicking" while we walked to the car after the show.

After we get through the first scene, the "brown skin" Rockettes are no longer a novelty. Her excitement turns to Santa and his antics throughout the show. As the performance winds down, the final scene is the story of the first Christmas, and includes a living nativity complete with camels and sheep. We whisper together about the story of Jesus' birthday, and here is was in the show. She thought the animals were cool. But, the true insight into her thoughts came with her LOUD question, "But, where did Santa go?" Again, I cringed, and realized that it was, indeed, time to go home.