Is It Too Soon?

No, it's never too soon to talk about Christmas and if you think it is, then you should stop reading... NOW.  I've gotta say that this sweater is like the best sweater ever:

Amazon

Not only is if from the best movie ever, which if you don't know what movie that is, I would think that you've stopped reading by now, but it's reasonably priced at about $25 +shipping and handling.  I wish that I could QVC model the ish out of this right now, because that's how much I want it.

So let's say that we all start thinking happy and merry thoughts and work on getting into the holiday spirit!

We Totally Made This Christmas Garland

It's not everyday that I can think of a pretty inexpensive craft that my kids can help with; usually inexpensive stuff equals not toddler friendly.  But this, this is different.  As I was flipping through the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens (don't knock it, that magazine is cheap and has some good ideas in it), I spotted this garland; it may not be the prettiest, but it sure looked easy.  I tried to find a link to the actual garland that was pictured, but gave up after searching various things, so if you click on the link, it's just gonna take to the plain old main page, feel free to 'search it up'!

Here's all that you will need to make a pretty spectacular, easy, keepsake Christmas garland.

Paper Straws (I got mine in the dollar bin at Target a while ago)
String of any kind
Scissors
Wooden beads

Approximate cost (if everything is bought new)- $10.
Difficulty Level- Easy

Start by laying everything out and then telling your kids not to touch anything so that you can snap a picture for your blog, that will go over well:

Next cut each straw into small pieces, I cut each of my straws into thirds.

Then I approximated how much string I would need to fill, knotted one end and let the kids go to town; alternating between a bead and a green and red straw. Of course, I had to assist to the point that they could actually help, which really means pulling the string though the bead or straw.  That lasted for a few minutes, evenutally they both decided that they'd had enough and quit half way through, but it was fun while it lasted.

Once you reach the end of the string, and may or may not still have kids helping, tie off the other end and snap another picture, 'cause look at y'all, you just made something pretty awesome.

Hang it up.

It's Still The Truth

Again, I bring you the best explanation of the spirit of Christmas and Santa.  One day, I will share this letter with my children and I hope that they understand all of it; why we do this, why it makes the world a good, decent place.  Happy reading, feel free to pass this along; it's worth it.

The Truth

It's My Favorite

Christmas time is my favorite; probably because it's right before my birthday, everyone is in joyous spirits and the house is filled with kind of beautiful things.  Decorating is crazy though... advice from parents of older children, when does the fighting/ornament breaking/disregard for the lovely ambiance that I'm working hard to set up- stop?  Is it around 4 years old?  'Cause that'd be nice.  Every year I expect that the boys will be too delighted by the sounds from the TV seasonal music station that their fighting will be temporarily put on hold, but that's not happening.  But... it is getting better.  Only a handful of smashed ornaments and one or two meltdowns each; I'm cool with that.

We had a few firsts this year: first train set, which was immediately broken and still remains off the tracks in the family room, first Christmas in our new house and first time that Cullen took a real interest in helping to set things up- more man business as he would call it, I suppose.  The results are perfect- for us.  I love all of the planning and time it takes for this to take shape, it's a nice way to spend time together, even if it is mixed with some fighting and crying, because it's what we do and how we do.

Boom, Boom, Crash

So, Cullen got a mini drum set from Santa.  Needless to say, our lives for the past 24 hours have been pretty much nothing but: boom, boom, crash.  Eventually, it will get old, but for now, it's music to my ears.

Not to be left out, we got Arden a guitar; of course it's for 8 year olds, so it's totally unwieldy and we already broke a string and had to MacGyver it back on, so that means that it not only sounds terrible (tuning was never my strength), but now it looks terrible too.  If these boys don't turn out to be some sort of drumming, guitar playing chefs, then I have spent oodles of money all for nothing- just kidding, I guess it's for the experience...

Merry Christmas

Dear Everyone Celebrating Christmas,

We hope you have a wonderful day, which to us means wrapping paper flying through the air promptly at 7:00 am, lazy brunches spent stuffing our faces with bacon and mimosas (not together though) and good times with family and friends.  And who can forget the hours spent on the couch enjoying that classic-before-it-should've-been: A Christmas Story.

Love,
Me-Me, Jim, Cullen and Baby Arden

The Truth

When the day comes to explain the spirit behind Santa, I'm going to do it just like this.  Please take a moment to read this letter, it's amazingly touching and it think it captures the meaning of what every parent tries to make happen for their little one.

ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

Christmas 2011, Arden's First Christmas

The First

I often think of these few pictures from Cullen's First Christmas as  some of my absolute favorite Christmas photos ever.  His face is priceless and the fact that this was his excitement level throughout the day, only makes these pictures more enjoyable.

So, to everyone celebrating a first, whether it's a Christmas, a birthday, a first day at a new job... whatever it may be, I hope that you celebrate it with as much overwhelming excitement as Cullen did on his First Christmas; you deserve it!

Christmas 2011

Please enjoy these pictures from our house on Christmas:

Yea!  Another stocking added to the mantle!

The Christmas present piles.

Oh look!  Another year of playing Christmas Tree roulette:
let's see how far the tree can actually lean without tipping over!

We hope that your Christmas was filled with lots of love and miracles. 


P.S. Speaking of miracles, my blog crush got one of her own.  If you're so inclined, please check it out here.

The Truth

The truth about Santa is something like this: it's a way of living, giving rather than getting and remembering to bring magic to everyone not just during the holidays but all year round.  The other truth about Santa: he's a parents best leverage, "Santa's watching, drop it!"

Recently, I've been having many conversations about when to tell.  When children know.  And what happens after, because for as much as Santa is a complete psychological trauma, he's also also radiates innocence, a time when children believe in something that is almost entirely good (but for the naughty list).

So in the spirit of Christmas and everyone struggling with the dilemma of when to tell and what to say, here is a letter, written by Martha Brockenbrough (if you like the letter, which I know you will, please continue here) that helped illustrate the best way to tell someone that while there's no Santa, it doesn't mean that you have to stop believing:

A few months back, the Tooth Fairy got busted. She left a note for Alice up on her computer, and Lucy figured the whole business out. The Tooth Fairy cursed her need to write notes in elaborate fonts and tried to come up with a cover story, but it didn’t fool Lucy.
To her credit, Lucy has kept the secret from her little sister, who still hasn’t lost a tooth and deserves to wake up with money under her pillow.

But the Tooth Fairy knew it couldn’t be too long before Santa was similarly unmasked. She didn’t know when or how, but she knew the days of magic in her house, at least magic of a certain sort, were coming to an end.

And the Tooth Fairy—by which I mean myself—was pretty darned sad about the inevitable, which finally arrived last week.

Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We’ve talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we’d like to read, adventures we’d like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it’s been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here’s what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of how he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama