Tradition

Okay, a musical about Jewish family, even when performed by Legos, really has nothing to do with the post, but it popped into my head when I typed in the title.  I went to YouTube to play it while I wrote and I found this and fell in LOVE.  Even if you don't share my love of Broadway, you might still appreciate the work that went into it.

So, as we are making our way toward the holiday, I am counting down the days of school left, just like the kids.  I am so excited to get to the holidays.  I am looking forward to it in so many ways!

As we enter into the season, I am hoping to make some traditions that my people will pass on to their people, as I have passed on some that were passed on to me from my family.

We started the Elf on the Shelf this year.  The kids LOVE him!  It makes for very motivated children getting up so early in the morning! I will probably buy 4 of them so that I can give them each one as they leave my nest.  It will tie them back to their childhood and make them smile.  

We do Christmas socks filled with little gifts and candy on Christmas morning.  I am certain that will get passed on.  They get to go through their socks while waiting for present time.  It makes it easier while waiting for Daddy to come home when he is on shift for Christmas Eve like this year.  I make a big breakfast and presents come after that.  Sometimes my Dad joins us, sometimes my Mom.  But, my french toast casserole only comes out twice a year and this is one of those times.  This year I am going to try using Challah bread. Mmmmm, I am so excited!  I also hope that if my kids aren't at my house for Christmas morning, they continue this with their family.

Grandpa Pat and my Baby Bear

We leave cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, and in turn Santa leaves "snow" footprints.  I go to midnight mass, hopefully soon I won't have to go alone because J will be home and I can steal the older ones.  Or, J will be home and we can all go...once the girlies are old enough to go.  It will come.

There are never presents under the tree before Christmas morning.  No shaking and squishing to guess.  But the impact when you see all those presents on Christmas morning is worth it.

The kids are getting older. There has always been that AWE that comes with the sheer amount of gifts - big and small.  But as they get older, we are noticing that there are less presents.  So, I proposed a new tradition.  Once the muppets reach middle school and join the ranks of Santa's helpers, their gifts change as well.  I believe someone mentioned it was a Victorian tradition.  There are six gifts, something you want, something you wear, something you read, something you made, something you share and something to surprise you.  I think it is a cool idea.  And a practical way to pull the reins in on crazy spending.  I mentioned it to J and he pretty much "yes dear"ed me.  We'll chat again.  

My other hope is to add a tradition of giving.  Not the anonymous dropping off toys to the Toys for Tots.  As noble as it is, to actually put human faces to people in need of a pick me up makes it so much more real - actually giving where the kids see what the joy of giving looks like.  I'm looking for ideas for Christmas Eve, especially since FF is working. I really want them to take an experience and a humility with them into their lives.

So let me ask, what traditions do you have for Christmas?

Time to Burst the Bubble

I feel like such a grinch.  We have been discussing when the best time is talk to B about Santa.  He will be going into middle school next year.  My high school kids are very patient and sensitive to issues like this, but the middle school kids downstairs - they are way too busy trying to be "grown" and could care less who they trample on.  We have one 7th grader that I know still believes and N has worked very hard to shield him from the nay sayers, for which I am very proud of him.  But the middle schoolers are viscous.

B will be in that same boat and I am not sure if there will be anyone to shield him from the verbal abuse.  I don't want to ruin his Christmas, so we won't be saying anything now.  I thought maybe a Christmas in July celebration where I could pull him aside and have a talk over a root bear float or something.


With N, you could hear in his questions and statements that someone had gotten to him and he knew.  But when we talked to him and told him the amazing thing about what he now knew was that he became Santa. HE got to help carry on the spirit and traditions of the season for the little ones.  I had this beautiful speech in my head and this glorious happy family moment.

Te Reality is never so Norman Rockwell-esque.

YOU LIED TO ME!  ALL THESE YEARS YOU HAVE BEEN LYING AND BETRAYING ME!

Yeah, an all out tears and screaming MELTDOWN.  And N's meltdowns (thank GOD they have subsided) are not pretty.

And it was J's first year on, so guess who got to deal with the fallout ALL BY HERSELF.  Yup, that would be me.  I was never so grateful for the Christmas to be over.

B on the other hand, I think truly believes.  For a bit, I thought he was trying to make sure I knew he still "believed".  You know, to make sure he still got his Santa presents.  But, as I am sitting here in the darkness of my bedroom on this kind of lazy Saturday morning and I hear him talking to his sisters, watching Rudolf. AND HE STILL BELIEVES!  He is LOVING the Elf on the Shelf and sees himself as the resident Santa expert.  It is so adorable.

So, now, how do you politely and thoughtfully burst that bubble?  I will probably put a speech together and NOT do it during the Christmas season.  J thinks he will handle it so much better than his brother.  And he probably will.  He is much more of a go with the flow kind of a guy.  It will probably be okay.  We have another girl on the compound in the same spot.  Maybe a Compound Christmas in July event where we have a middle school kids only pow-wow or something.

But B is the embodiment of the season - family, giving, faith and service.  He is the Christmas season.

Hug your muppets and kiss your FF.  Keep the spirit of Santa, of giving alive throughout the season and the year.

Christmas is here!

You heard of me trying to put up my tree early and all of the chaos that ensued.  I think that was my penance for breaking the "not before Thanksgiving" rule. Yesterday, officially being a week and a few days AFTER turkey day, we got the village up.  It was literally an all day, where did all those power strips from last year go, I think we need new snow kind of a day.  It took a few trips to the store and buying a fountain when I went for ornaments (it was $55 instead of $300, what was I supposed to do!) to get it done.  But, it is indeed up and looking beautiful.  The kids love it.  Hopefully the scat mats will keep the k9 tails and noses from making it look like Hurricane Giovanni has struck.

Our Downtown

The Neighborhood

The Municipal part of town - train station, firehouse, school,
police station, town hall, etc.

The Back Woods still needs to be put out.  The table legs still need to be covered.  But we knocked out a huge part of it.  I will post pictures that not of the quick cell phone variety once all is said and done.  I was just thrilled to have it look like Christmas.  Today - outdoor decorations.  It will be nearing 60, you cannot ask for a nicer day in December to do that.  Once everything is settled, I will indeed get some nicer pictures on here.  Look for it!

After 10 days off, my FF goes back to work tomorrow.  Amazing how quickly we become spoiled!

Enjoy the day, kiss your firefighters and let your muppets know how much you love them.

Christmas on my mind

My husband will be thrilled when he comes home tomorrow and I tell him that I am already starting to plan Christmas.  I did a post last December about Christmas has changed for me as I have made my way through the various stages of my life.  Not necessarily the happiest of pieces, but instead very real and a bit raw.  I know some family members were bothered by it, but I felt better getting it off my chest.  


Today, in the 95 degree, no air conditioning yet heat, I have got Christmas on my brain.  It all started with the instant realization that the purple, silver and white theme I have had going on my Christmas tree would not really go well with my "Cut Ruby" red living room and I found myself a little bit crestfallen. (I know, grand scheme of things, it is pretty low on the totem pole.)  Partially because I love so many of those ornaments, but also because I was looking forward to Christmas again.  So, what do I do?  I head over to my new found addiction - Pinterest.  

I resisted for much longer than many of my friends, but I did indeed get sucked into it.  And I have actually used quite a few of the pins that I have pinned. It has not been a total day draining experience for me, I have shown some restraint.  But, today, it was definitely a morale booster.  It started out with me simply looking for easy DIY ornaments so I could incorporate some more red into my tree (which does indeed lend itself to the fire tree my husband has been coveting for a bit) and morphed into planning Christmas presents.  I have even started to plan the girls' present from Santa, that I am going to make.  It is rather exciting.  


So maybe, just maybe, Christmas really is back.  Maybe that love and peace and happiness I had 10 years ago, has found its way back.


Now, I am off in search of a cheap 9 cube shelf .  Enjoy your day, stay cool. Throw some love and Popsicles at your kids and kiss your firefighters.