All things Christmas-y, part two

I'm sure one or two people out there are wondering where the Christmas Day post is...so here you have it.  I was on call Christmas Day, so I thought it best to have our big meal on Christmas Eve.   I also thought it perfectly reasonable to support a local place and allow them to make most of said meal.  Somehow I still ended up in the kitchen most of the day on the 24th.  I was really glad, then, that I chosen for us to eat early.  That left Christmas Day for family time.  First though, I should say a few things about Christmas Eve.  (If you are reading with a small child, please stop here and skip to the pictures!)

Still reading?  you better be a grown up, or don't say I didn't warn you!  So I had some serious anxiety on Christmas Eve this year that I have not had in years past.  See I really struggled with the whole "Santa" thing last year.  You know, to do or not to do.  In the end, LO's school introduced the concept and he was so very excited that I just couldn't burst his bubble.  Nowhere else in his life have I knowingly let society's expectations for his childhood make decisions for him.  I'm the kind of girl that doesn't mind doing the hard thing if I think it's the right thing.  This time last year, I just wasn't sure what the right thing was, so I did the easy thing and the fun thing, and gosh, I hope it was the right thing.  So I rolled with what he was told at school and decided that if I was in on the Santa gig, I was going to be all in.  There's no half way about it.  We haven't done Santa pictures yet because, well, LO's just not easy going enough to enjoy that.  Other people's pictures of their kids screaming on his lap are funny, but I don't see any reason for us to have our own.  I also don't ask LO what he wants for Christmas.  At his age the answer to that question is more likely to be based on a whim or something he sees around him than it is to be based on a real interest.  This year I tried to take an approach a friend of mine mentioned recently.  DH and I tried to find "something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read."  I thought it a great way to keep us from going overboard.  I also tried to think of experiences for the boys rather than objects in the "want" category.  That was easier to do for LO than NB because of their ages.

As Christmas Eve approached, though, a major flaw in this plan became apparent.  The rest of the world ask LO at every opportunity what he wanted from Santa.  I already knew what the gifts would be, but suddenly LO was throwing wants (sometimes whims) out there as responses and suddenly he began to expect things from Santa that weren't on the list.  When he responded several times that he wanted a garbage truck from Santa, I laughed with co-workers about it.  No way he was getting a garbage truck, he already had a great one that he has loved for over a year.  (and that DH, Nanny K, and I are really rather tired of hearing and playing with.  Truth be told, I think we'd all rather die than get him another one.)  Randomly, he had also thrown out to DH that he wanted an accordion and a trumpet.  When I heard that, I rushed to Amazon to search out a shiny toy trumpet.  That order placed on December 15th, I thought we had the gifts all figured out.  So then the closer Christmas Eve got, the more LO talked about the garbage truck he wanted.  I couldn't remember if he wanted a front or back loader (the one he has is a side loader), but he wanted one that could load two cans at once. He also said he wanted the new one, so NB could have the old one and they could play together.  Suddenly having a second truck began to make sense...or the kid was working me.  Either was entirely possible.

By the time I understood what he wanted, it was too late to get the truck.  In the meantime, I began to wonder where that shiny trumpet was.  I tracked it on December 21st, six days after ordering it, and it had last been scanned in Ontario Canada on the 17th.  Expected delivery was Christmas Eve.  Really?   Santa's Elves, a la UPS was cutting it close!  I had mentioned to our friend K's mom that I didn't ask LO what he wanted from Santa, and she agreed that it made no sense to ask a three (K's age) or four year old.  Instead, she decided what K would get and talked it up, so K thought it was her own idea.  Brilliant I thought, so I had talked up that shiny trumpet for a good week or so.  Christmas Eve finally arrived, and the trumpet was still on its way.  In the meantime, LO talked about that garbage truck more and more.  He even told me that Santa brings boys everything they want.  My heart sank every time it came up.  I began to understand why parents are acting like fools over the last of certain toys on the shelves.  This was the first year that LO really asked for things and really believed Santa would provide, and I was almost sick at the thought of his disappointment.  Then, at four o'clock on Christmas Eve, we still didn't have the trumpet. I was about to get LO up from nap to go out for Christmas Eve festivities, and DH was to stay with NB and keep an eye on our dinner in the stove.  In  a few moments of panic DH and I began to search for a garbage truck.  If that trumpet didn't come, we'd have to find something else and fast.  We had no idea how we'd get it or where, so we started making desperate phone calls and web searches.  One store we called said they didn't have what we needed, but a customer in line said she'd seen something similar in another store.  It was sweet they way people were pulling together to help us, but it was a stressful and frenzied search.  DH had the inspired idea to track the trumpet another way and found it was indeed "out for delivery."  About 10 minutes later, our local mail carrier handed DH the box.

We had the trumpet, no need to get the truck.  That afternoon I told LO a story about how we don't always get everything we ask for from Santa.  Usually we want what he gives, but sometimes we don't get everything we ask for.  By example, I shared that I had asked for a baby sister for years when I was close to his age.  I was 12 before I got her, and she didn't come from Santa.  Sometimes, we get what we ask for, but not on Christmas.  LO had struggled through this season with wanting "a lot" and feelings of "is that all I'm getting?"  Nanny K and I had both talked with him about those feelings, trying to introduce the concepts of "want" vs "need."  As we drove home for Christmas Eve dinner, LO offered, without prompting, "Mommy, I will be grateful for whatever I get."  Music to my ears, but I had a sense that his heart might take some time to follow in that sentiment.

Christmas Eve night the boys opened one gift.  New footie PJs (something to wear), and, perhaps as a new tradition, I let LO open a gift Nanny K had given him two years ago.  It took me this long to be ready for him to enjoy it.  He had no idea what he had unwrapped from her...two Veggie Tales Christmas DVDs.  LO set out bunny graham crackers and milk for Santa's snack.  Then we took a quick bath, put on new PJs, got a small cup of caramel popcorn (thanks Princeton fam!), and popped in "The Little Drummer Boy."  It's the first DVD we have watched with the boys.  LO was mesmerized and still.  He has seen a movie or two at school, but none here.  NB has never seen one and he was hilarious to watch. He talked to the screen, laughed, and waved his hands excitedly.  He only got to watch about 10 minutes before we took him to bed.  "And so it begins,"  DH said expectantly.  I wasted no time letting him know nothing was beginning.  We would still not be crowded around the TV with any regularity if I had any choice, and we haven't been.  It was a sweet treat for Christmas Eve though, and one I think we may repeat next year.  After the movie, LO and I went out in front of the house and sprinkled "reindeer food"  he had made at school (oatmeal and glitter) so the reindeer would know how to find their way to our house.  Then he was off to bed.

Christmas morning, still in his room, LO asked me right away "Did Santa bring me a front loader garbage truck?"  "You'll have to see!" I had to reply.  He came down stairs and saw a train set up in front of the tree that was intended for NB.  "Oh!" he said smiling, then he made a bee-line for the breakfast table.  Apparently nothing stops LO from having breakfast.  DH carried NB down and he saw the tree and gifts as well.  'Choo-choo, choo-choo!" he said.  We lingered a little over a special Christmas morning breakfast, then the boys got to opening gifts.  At several boxes, LO asked me "is my garbage truck in here?"  "I bet it's this one!"  Finally the only box left was one for me.  I knew the contents of that one, but LO thought maybe Santa fooled us and wanted to open it for me.  When all the boxes were open, he was excited about his gifts, and never mentioned the truck again.  I was so sad for him every time he mentioned it, but  he really seemed to move on without skipping a beat.  Possession is 9/10 of the law for toys in our house, so LO decided he got to the train first, it must be his.  There was a lot of that in our Christmas after gifts were opened.  I should have expected it, but I hadn't so that put a damper on things.  Lots of time outs for hitting by NB, lots of irritation from us as LO pretended to adore things his brother wanted just to push his buttons.   We had a good Christmas overall.  My pager didn't go off until dinner time, and we had a lot of sweet family time together (except when someone was in time out).  Here's how our gift-giving turned out: 1) Wants: for LO, a day trip with just Mama to a nearby children's museum; for NB, his first train 2) Needs: for LO, a thermos so he can take warm foods to school for lunch (he was underwhelmed by this, but I think he'll love it when he gets to use it); for NB, tried to get him some slippers, but that didn't work out, so we ordered them after Christmas.  3) Wear: footie PJs LO got reindeer, NB, snowmen.  4) Read: LO, "The Gruffalo", NB, "I love you stinky face," but both books are really for both boys. For the record, I think this was a great approach, but in my Christmas Eve panic, I wondered if it was really age-appropriate.  It might be better suited to the older child.  I'll have to ponder that a bit in the coming year.
Here are the high points of our morning in pictures:

The exposure is poor, but I love this sweet moment between the boys just as NB woke up.

The healthy part of breakfast to make up for the egg, cheese, potato casserole....

Sleepy guys ready to eat!

Brother got to it first, but that's NB's first train.  He loves choo-choos.

He got frustrated that it wouldn't go around the track, never mind that he was sitting on it.

LO checking out the tree.  We had to call him back inside to the stockings.

Oh, here are the stockings! 

Thomas the train bubble bath.  NB mid-"choo-choo!"

He was just asking for a wisk yesterday.  This one is from Grams.

Something to read.  A new favorite, "The Gruffalo"

LO just opening the shiny trumpet.

Playing it for the first time.

NB eager to get his Thomas train out of the packaging.

There it is!

This cool ball took a major hit early on, but plays cool music from all over the world.  LO wanted to add his own on his trumpet. 

DH reading his card from me while is sidekick looks on.

We wish you a Merry Christmas.