I received a map of Maybeland from Dennis Crow, someone who supports the Internet OTR Digest almost as much as he supports Paddy O’Cinnamon, The Cinnamon Bear. Dennis knows my family has, for quite a few years now, spent a few minutes each evening around this time of year visiting with Judy, Jimmy, and Paddy in Maybeland, following their adventures as they search desperately for the Silver Star, which is needed for the top of the Barton’s Christmas Tree.

Being pretty sure the map wasn’t meant for me, I gave it to my seven-year-old daughter (after misplacing the thing for at least a week’s worth of episodes), who promptly grabbed her crayon box and colored in the places she remembers so well.

I don’t know if I’ve ever described the ritual we perform evenings at this time of year; we all gather in Katie’s room (including the cat most evenings), bringing in a bag of hard candy as a snack, and while Katie and Annie snuggle in her bed (especially when the Inkaboos are up to no good) I sit on the floor next to the bed, not wanting to be too far away from that bag of candy - think of me as an honorary Candy Pirate. We turn out the lights, and I start the adventure on my office computer, which is transmitted to the radio in Katie’s room.

This year, there’s been an interesting wrinkle in the routine; now whenever our heroes enter a new place, a small flashlight suddenly lights above me on the bed, and with a rustle of paper she’s checking out where they’re at, and how they got there. Tonight I had borrowed the map to stick it in the scanner and forgot to replace it in her room; when tonight’s episode started, there was a quiet cry of, “Daddy…where’s my map?!”

While I’m hoping Judy and Jimmy find the silver star, I’m hoping they don’t find it too soon. And while I know she’s growing up, gaining and losing teeth, learning things in school, outgrowing her clothing every other week, and getting older and wiser, I really hope she doesn’t grow up too fast…I don’t want her to lose the awe and wonder of her love for the four-inch-high bear with the green ribbon, not for a long time. I really like seeing Maybeland through her eyes…and her crayons.