Well, we've had a few days of flurries, the van has been frozen shut twice and we got our first big gas bill of the season. It must be winter in St. Louis!
I bought 20 pairs of those magic stretch gloves, all black, last week. I know where 7 of those gloves are now. I told the kids it was their responsibility to keep track of their winter-weather outdoor clothing this year. When they lose the last glove, they'll be wearing socks on their hands. Lord knows I have at least a hundred socks missing their match! Why not?
I bought hot chocolate in bulk at Sam's last week. Let's see ... five kids, 60 pouches of cocoa ... that's not even enough to get me to 2009!
This year we were gifted a beautiful 7 1/2 foot Christmas tree from a fellow Freecycler. The kids wanted to decorate it with gold and red glass ornaments and their "Little Wishes" stars. Silly me, I thought it was a good idea! What was I thinking? I have 5 kids and two dogs with tails that could be deemed "deadly weapons" when the animal they are attached to gets overly excited! Our beautifully decorated tree now has glass ornaments (well, 5 fewer than we began with) on the top half of the tree and the seven remaining magic stretch gloves hung neatly at the bottom by my two youngest troublemakers.
I caught my 3 oldest elves sneaking a peak into one of the Christmas gift boxes the other day. Maybe it was my fault I had it sitting out in the middle of the living room floor. Won't they be surprised on Christmas morning when they don't find those gifts under the tree?
Our Advent Calendar is on top of the fridge ... still wrapped in plastic. Am I a bad mom for not remembering to let the kids open a window each day? Last year Allie tried sticking the advent candles in her nose, so I decided a cardboard calendar would be safer for this year.
How did my mom make this look so easy? She always had our home decorated beautifully this time of year. We always had gloves and she even made her own hot chocolate and kept it in big Tupperware containers so we'd never run out! She spent at least 2 days putting up the tree, adorning it with ornaments she collected each year for Kristie and me. Mom had presents under the tree, perfectly wrapped, each one with a number on it designating to whom it would be given on Christmas morning. Only Mom knew the secret "code" to her numbers. My kids should consider themselves fortunate if all of the gifts are even wrapped!
In the end it's not about the gifts, the hot chocolate, or the broken ornaments. If my children understand why we celebrate Christmas, then I'll consider myself blessed. When the presents are unwrapped, the cookies and eggnog consumed, and the last strains of Auld Lang Syne float through the air I'll thank God for the Gift of His Son, and for giving me the opportunity to give my children sweet memories of Christmas, just like Mom gave them to me.
Until Tomorrow,
Kathy
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