Santa Claus

I noticed earlier today that Danielle is hosting a lively discussion regarding the existence of Santa Claus. Maybe I'm naive, but it never would have occurred to me that so many people would not include Santa in their Christmas celebrations! I have such happy memories of the Christmas Eve's of my youth, sneaking out of my bed and tiptoeing down the hall to my brothers' room where I would try to sleep for the remainder of the night on a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor between their twin beds until finally, as a trio, we'd creep into our parents' room to wake them before going to see what Santa left us under the tree. That sense of magic and anticipation is something that has never left me, not even during my turbulent teens when, having long since discovered the truth about Santa, I'd still play along for the benefit of my younger brother. That joy and wonder is something I would never wish to deny my kids, or myself! I'll never forget how giddy I felt the Eve of Dylan's first Christmas five years ago. Darren and I were as happy as children ourselves, "being" Santa for the very first time. As Dylan has grown, and as we've welcomed more children into our family, the joy we get from being Santa is still just as strong. There is very real pleasure to be had in lovingly considering exactly what each of our children will enjoy, and then seeing their faces light up when they see their gifts under the tree.

There is, of course, no question in our minds as to what the true meaning of Christmas really is. Even our kids understand that it is so much more than just presents under the tree. But I don't think there is anything wrong with including Santa as part of our celebration.

Last night, while the kids and I were reading the story of Saint Nicholas, we looked for all the ways in which Santa Claus resembled him.

"Isn't Santa clever?" we all agreed. "He must love Saint Nicholas so much that he tries to be just like him!"

Which, really, is exactly what I hope to impart to my children: that Saint Nicholas was one of God's special helpers. That he loved poor people and tried his best to help them. That he gave kindly and selflessly and that we must, too.

I know the day will come when my kids realize that Santa Claus doesn't really exist. But until then, we're keeping his magic and spirit alive for as long as we can.

Attitude

I tried to blog several times today but everything I wrote came across as sounding either whiny or complainy. (You see? There I go again! And just for the record, I'm pretty sure that "complainy" isn't a word but I'm totally using it, anyway.)

It was at some point mid-morning that I finally decided I was in dire need of a major attitude adjustment. Because really, the things that were making me the most irritated were of such little significance that I'm embarrassed now to think of the time I wasted being so grumpy.

So, with the thought in mind that acting happy would make me happy, I put on a new Christmas CD, parked my kids on their bar stools in the kitchen, and whipped up some delicious Double-Rich Chocolate Cookies. (These are from my most favorite cookbook ever, one that Darren bought for me before we were married. I let Dylan pick today's variety...tomorrow we'll be making Eggnog Cookies from the same cookbook.) Later, before naps, we snuggled on the couch and read Christmas books. When Darren got home tonight he surprised us by taking us out to eat at our favorite restaurant, a treat we all greatly enjoyed! We stopped on the way to pick up the Christmas cards I ordered today, and I love them! I can't wait to get started addressing them. It's a chore I look forward to every year, because it reminds me of how very lucky we are to have so many loved ones in our lives.

I'm also happy to have finally figured out a plan for Meghan's first birthday. I had decided a while back that I'd like to have a Strawberry Shortcake theme, but when I actually got serious about shopping for supplies I couldn't find anything I needed. Nothing. I was so discouraged. So next I decided I'd just go "no theme", and ordered some really cute personalized invitations which, to me, was a really big deal, because trying to get one good picture of Meghan without her crawling away was next to impossible. I was so happy with the picture I finally got...but so very disappointed in the invitations when I went to pick them up. They were horrible. So not what I was expecting, and Meghan was a very disgusting shade of orange. I'm not exaggerating, either. There was no way I was going to send those out to people, which brought me back to square one. Such were the circumstances yesterday when Darren took Meghan back to the doctor (she's been coughing and pulling on her ear a lot lately and we were worried her ear infection may have returned...luckily, it hasn't.) Anyway, the doctor prescribed a decongestant and when Darren went to pick it up at the pharmacy located in the K-Mart near our house, he found a gold mine of Strawberry Shortcake party supplies. I think he wiped out their entire stock! I don't know how I missed looking there in the first place, but I am so relieved to finally have it settled!

And, let's see, what else has made me happy today? Oh, yes, Dylan said the cutest thing! Meghan has become quite fascinated by the berries on one of the decorations I bought at the Christmas bazaar I went to this past weekend. She loves plucking them off and trying to eat them, which, of course, freaks me out because I am so very terrified by the thought of any of my children choking. She knows when she's busted, too, because she'll immediately put down whatever she's got and sit back, looking up at me with an angelic expression as though daring me to actually accuse her of wrongdoing. So...today I came into the room just as she was about to put a berry in her mouth and I said, loudly, "Meghan!" She stopped right away but Dylan, as always, sprang quickly to her defense, telling me, "It's okay if Meghan has those berries, Mommy, maybe she just wants to be a holly jolly baby!" OH, of course! Silly Mommy!

And finally, the moon was beautiful tonight. Full and bright, the kind that makes me so very happy to be at home instead of at work!

First Sunday of Advent

O Lord, stir up Thy might, we beg Thee, and come, That by Thy protection we may deserve to be rescued from the threatening dangers of our sins and saved by Thy deliverance.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Art

As I wait for my sister-in-law to arrive from the hotel for another fun filled day, I just can't resist sharing Dylan's latest work of art, which he created on the computer last night while Darren and I were getting the girls ready for bed. I just love it!

Have you ever seen a cuter Lightning McQueen?!

Let it Snow!

Living in the desert of southern New Mexico, snow is, to us, a very rare novelty. So last night, when we caught a glimpse of tiny white flakes blowing onto our patio, I quickly bundled up the kids and ran with them into the backyard, where we did a quick little happy dance before coming back inside to watch through the window. Our "snowstorm" passed nearly as quickly as it had arrived, but it was sure fun while it lasted!

Birthday Meme

I was tagged by Celeste for this birthday meme.

Here's how you play:

1) Go to Wikipedia
2) In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year.
3) List three events that happened on your birthday.
4) List two important birthdays and one death.
5) One holiday or observance (if any).

My birthday is June 23.

3 events:

1887: The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada, creating that nation's first national park, Banff National Park.
1888:Frederick Douglass is the first African-American nominated for US president.
1931:Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.

2 important birthdays:

1929: June Carter Cash, American singer
1948: Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

1 death:

1995: Jonas Salk, American medical researcher

1 Holiday/Observance:

Midsummer's Eve, Christianized the eve of the feast of Saint John the Baptist, is celebrated in much of Northern Europe and the British Islands.

I tag Nicole and Jennifer. Have fun!