Meeting with Santa

Gabriel: Mommy, that wasn't the real Santa. That was a man in a Santa costume.

Me: Why would you say that?

Gabriel flashes knowing smile, turns and walks away.

I'm pretty sure he was trying to protect me from the truth!

Thanksgiving Break

Gabriel needed a vacation after his week off school. We:

went to the movies ... twice
went to the zoo
had a playdate
had a movie night at home
had a Thanksgiving "party"
had Ethan's birthday party

It was busy and it was fun!

at the movies:

at the zoo:

i heart this atn

Holiday Check list

(not in order)

- shop for out-of-town family

• wrap

• ship (this entails a trip to the post office)

- shop for in-town family

• wrap

• hide

• consider forgotten mcdonald's toys for stocking stuffers

- make cookies

• gather icing and sprinkles

• drop it off (and the kids) with Nana

- take a picture for family christmas card

• realize you've waited too long to order them online; have them printed in-store in one hour

• pick up pictures; curse thyself for procrastinating so you must face traffic to pick up pictures instead of having them shipped to your house

• assemble cards

• sign cards

• address cards

• call people looking for addresses

• leave messages and hope they call back soon

• begin to feel irritated that husband does not help with the christmas card chore

• obtain postage (this entails going to the post office)

• blow it all off and design a holiday e-card - send within 15 minutes of shirked christmas card responsibilities

• think of creative way to use 65 of the same print of your kids

- lug boxes of christmas crap in from garage

• brush off spider eggs in laundry room

• place in the middle of the once tidy living room and get to hanging up tacky christmas crap

• put up the tree

• fluff the branches

• string lights on the branches

• restring lights after husband comes home and reminds you that uneven and halfway burned out lights look tacky

• take to drinking

• assemble children for norman rockwell-esque decorating of the tree

• after 10 minutes, yell at them to go to bed because you are "sick and tired" of them fighting

-lug box of christmas lights out of the garage

• place it in the driveway

• assume spider eggs are now in natural habitat and ignore their presence

• string lights on outside of house and sad little tree

• restring lights after husband comes home and reminds you that uneven and halfway burned out lights look tacky

-place all of the christmas cd's within 12" of cd player

• sort through them with nostalgia

• pick an old favorite and begin playing

• realize you are still sick of it and put them all back in the box of christmas crap in the garage

• place discarded spider eggs on top in hopes of creating an eco-system for spiders that will remind you of your christmas music fatigue next year when you reach for your christmas cd's

-consider planning a christmas party

• realize that is crazy talk and go to bed

(don't even get me started on dealing with customer service about cyber monday deals)

That's my Christmas this year, how is yours?