Christmas with the Grandstaffs:
*Christmas programs: 2 (one at church - Bailey at school)
*Number of pictures in front of the tree to get "just the right one" before Christmas
Eve service: 27. Still didn't get it.
*Candy canes on tree: 24
*Trips to find the annual Grandstaff Tree in the pouring rain: 1
*Christmas Card prototypes before we got the winner: a new record of only 3!!
*Sugar Cookies made (with friends, the Kmittas!!) - not sure - but I know more dough
got eaten than cooked.
*New sleds: 1
*Trips down neighbor's hill on new sled: at least 49 (not counting the trip down with the
new hotwheel)(thanks, Crusers!)
*Christmas gatherings with family: 3
*Cards sent to friends: 50
*Cards received from friends: 25
*Children on the "Nice List": 4 (Riley told Santa she did not like his hair and didn't want
him touching her. :)
*Times I was thankful for Christmas and all it means: can't count
*Sleepless children on Christmas Eve: 5
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While driving Nicholas John to his last day of preschool before the break, I decided to having a meaningful moment and talk about why we celebrate Christmas. I was already imagining his perfect answer and how I would give myself that little pat on my back about how we were really getting it with our kids. Right. It went something like this:
Me: Nicholas, do you know why we celebrate Christmas?
Nicholas: Yep.
Me: Why?
Nicholas: Because we need more toys.
Me: Are you sure? I thought it had to do with someones birthday. Who's birthday is it?
Nicholas: Mine. (NOTE: His birthday IS in December)
Me: Yes. It was your birthday, but whose birthday do we celebrate on Christmas?
Nicholas: Nathan? (NOTE: His birthday is in January)
Me: No. It isn't his birthday. It is Jesus' birthday.
Nicholas: Okay. When we're done with his birthday do we get to play with our new toys?
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So Christmas Eve was all I look forward to each year. It was a beautiful night. Just the kind you might dream of as a child. It was cold and dark as we entered the church and there was a man playing Joy to the World on his harmonica in the cold. Inside we celebrated the birth of Christ with song, stories, and scripture reading. As we left, the same gentleman was playing his song into the night and as I looked up, there was a beautifully full moon and the snow was gently floating downward. It was almost magical.
Santa came that night. Funny thing. The kids put out three cookies for Santa - you know, the peanut butter ones with the kiss on it? They also put a carrot for the reindeer. We told them we'd put the milk out before we went to bed so the it wouldn't get warm before Santa got there. I can't think of anything worse than a big chug of warm milk. You definitely want to keep the man in red happy!! Having tucked the dumplings into their beds, Chris and I went to our bedroom to finish some last minute wrapping we had to do. Okay, all of our wrapping. When we took a trip downstairs to put some gift under the tree and what to our wondering eyes should appear??? SANTA HAD ALREADY COME!!! Those cookies were as gone as gone gets!! Reindeer must not have been hungry because the carrot was still there. After some finger pointing and room checks, we discovered that this year Santa had four legs and a very happy tail! Our precious pup, Sam, decided those just must have been for her. Needless to say, we had to restock for Santa!
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season and built some memories with those you love the most.
