My monkey see, my monkey do

The best part of the holiday shopping season is the smart, witty advertising retailers conjure up to get us to spend big bucks.

The big box stores really step up in the marketing department with catchy jingles, clever double entendres and heart-tugging moments.

In fact, the humor and warm messages are the only things that help suffer through a materialistic month.

The unexpected treasure this season is I happen to have a monkey in my house. In fact, my son mimics just about everything he sees, from the words we use — his attempt at pronouncing “I love you” is just priceless — to the way we do things.

He tries to put on our shoes, he puts his toy cellphone to his ear and pretends to gab, he even tries to type on the computer — those darn keys have to be very meaningful for mom to always be playing with them.

So it was with great pleasure to discover that he now is mimicking what he sees on the television.

The much-maligned (and celebrated) Joe Boxer commercial from Kmart came on the other day and my son, now almost 23 months, was drawn to the sound of “Jingle Bells.” He quietly listened as some very scantily-clad men gave what can only be described as a “colorful” rendition of the classic Christmas song.

After the final bell rang, my son thrust his hips forward, as if giving the final note and the entire family burst into laughter. It was as if the moment had been perfectly scripted and it put a fine point on the innocence of youth.

But now I realize that the moment has finally come that he is starting to pay more attention to what we say and do — and what that could mean if I become too careless. Now the remote is firmly affixed to my hand when my “little eyes and ears” are in the room.

‘Tis the season.

— Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.