That’s a wrap on Christmas and I think this may have been our best one yet. The boys are just at a fun age and they were more involved in choosing their gifts this year, which took some of the pressure off of me. When they opened things they didn’t particularly want, I reminded them that they are the ones who picked them out 😂. That mostly only happened with Quinn, which I kind of even expected. We had taken them to Target and let them choose things to take pictures with as a digital wish list. Quinn chose toys that Philip and I suspected he was only interested in for the moment, but what are you going to do? He was pleased overall, though, because he finally got the iPad he has been wanting. He didn’t know he was getting it, so it was a fun surprise. Ash got lots of gifts he liked, but he was a little put out that he didn’t get one. It worked out in the end, because Nana also got a new iPad, so Ash got a hand-me-down from Juno. Not that either one of them really NEEDS an iPad, but I can attest that it played a big part in creating peace during our two week break. We only have one tv in our household, by choice, so once Quinn was able to simultaneously watch shows alongside his brother, without having to take turns, both children were occupied and quiet 😂. When I went to my book club meeting at the end of December, I made an announcement that I was about to deviate from my typical discourse, so they should take note: my day had been unusually peaceful and I was in a good mood. I credited the tech for the improvement, but I said, “He can’t live the rest of his life like this,” with his nose bent over a screen, “but he can live the rest of his break like this.” I also told him. While the novelty hasn’t quite worn off, costumes and his brother are still his favorite things to play with and that’s all I can hope for.
I really, really enjoyed our time off together, but, to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would 😂. The days leading up to Christmas break weren’t good. So much so that our elf on the shelf went home early. I will preface this by saying that I don’t love the elf, and I was pressured into even doing it to begin with, so sending him away didn't make me sad 😂. Some mornings it would unintentionally cause bad attitudes and disappointment, so I just decided to stop. The only point of regret I had about that choice was for Ash’s sake, but I couldn’t bring myself to continue. It’s my fault for setting the expectation that the elf usually brought them something, but if that something wasn’t candy, Quinn would be grumpy and ungrateful. I will not commit to allowing my children to eat candy for breakfast for 24 days, so that just wasn’t feasible. Even when he got something I know he would’ve liked had he been in a different state of mind, he was pissy about it. It just got to the point where every morning was frustrating, so I stopped. I still plan to do it next year, again, mostly because of Ash, who asks me every day when the elf is coming back, but I probably won’t start until closer to Christmas. I am fine with making Christmas magic, but I’m not going to continue making big efforts when they aren’t appreciated, but more importantly, are doing the opposite.
We did have some fun with the elf, Candy Cane, before it went to shit. Some of things they liked were:
🌟He made a mess of crepe paper in my office and then left more for them to do
🌟 He left custom coloring pages that had their names incorporated. They're very into coloring
🌟He left cereal for breakfast and sat out pots and serving spoons for them to eat it with
🌟He left 6 and 7 number balloons, along with 67 gold (one of their favorite colors) balloons around the living room. Dad did that one while we were at Lincoln’s basketball game. Ash had touched Candy Cane the day before, so he didn’t move during the night. He had to go in the freezer to get his magic back. We came home to the surprise
🌟I had cleaned off the fridge, which had gotten rusted from picture magnets. I ordered new picture magnets and moved the old ones, so while we were waiting on them to arrive, Candy Cane took photos of himself and decorated our fridge. They thought it was hilarious that he peed in Ash’s urinal, sat on Sophie, and rode on a car.
I always write notes from the elf, and Quinn is learning to spell and writes all of the time, and often asks me to write something so that he can copy it, so I was worried that he may suddenly become a handwriting expert and call me out. There was no need, he absolutely doesn’t notice such details. While trying to help him correct his own letter form, he is unable to distinguish the differences and often argues with me that his looks like mine 😑. I’m not sure if he actually believes that, or he just likes to argue. Probably the latter.
Another festive failure, aside from the elf, was taking the boys to the Festival of Lights. I should’ve known the timing was wrong, but we attempted a Saturday night in mid December. We made it to the top of the hill before meeting the bottleneck, where we waited in line for an hour without reaching the park entrance. When Ash started to cry because he wanted to go home, we turned around in the middle of the road and left. Our GPS said we were 4 minutes away for the entire duration of our wait, so anytime they asked how much longer it was going to be, we would tell them, “Four minutes.” This stuck and has become my and Philip’s standard answer to that question about anything. I laugh every single time. They are not the least bit amused 😂. Maybe we’ll try again next year. Like, end of November or way closer to Christmas. Lori said they went on the 22nd or 23rd and there were no lines at all. I think they will like it when there isn’t such a time sacrifice involved.
Quinn had his Christmas program before the school break started, and I went in with low expectations. I didn’t get to attend his Pre-K program because Ash broke his elbow last year, and the appointment for him to get his cast was scheduled at the same time. Philip went and sent videos and Quinn did not participate. He hadn’t participated in his Little Red Schoolhouse graduation ceremony either, so it was expected. I asked him if he was going to dance and sing for his Kindergarten performance and he said he would. I didn’t believe him, but I hoped it was true 😂. I was pleasantly surprised when he actually did all of the movements and sang along! My Mama heart could barely contain itself, I was so excited. That probably says a lot about me, but I was ecstatic about his moment of conformity. Maybe you don’t appreciate these kinds of moments as much if you don’t have a super stubborn kid, but sometimes you just want them to do the things that other kids do, ya know? I told him he did a great job, and he told me, “The first row is for kids who did really good, the second row was okay, and I was in the third row.” 😂
I’m going to share an opinion that is probably going to be seen as ungrateful and unpopular, but here goes: everyone is doing too much. Santa was EVERYWHERE. Literally, everywhere we went during the holiday season, there he was. While I appreciate the thought, that’s what ruins the magic. How is seeing Santa supposed to be special when you do it 20 times a season? Ash, who is 3 (well, 3 and 3/4 if you ask him), saw Santa somewhere we frequent and told me he wasn’t the real Santa. He gave me valid reasons for why he came to that conclusion, so I told him he was right but not to tell the other children 😂. He recognized the dad, so there was no convincing him otherwise. I get that having the opportunities in a local setting is nice for children who may not travel to see him otherwise, but is that really a need when he visited their school? Christmas became like Halloween, where everyone had to do their own thing and it was just too much. I appreciate everyone’s efforts, truly. All I’m saying is if the different community factions get together and communicate with one another, maybe they could reduce the appearances. It’s not necessary. Just my two cents.
We had Christmas Eve dinner with Philip's extended family, and Christmas evening with mine. We all had a great time. Philip and I reminded the boys before we went to his mom's that they needed to remember if they didn't like something they got, to just say, "Thank you," and that we could maybe return it later. I didn't expect too many issues because I had made them wish lists of their choosing and sent them to our gift givers. Everything went well at Nana and Juju's, but Ash forgot his manners at Greg and Lori's. To be fair, the toy he said he didn't like (which he definitely does and has played with often) was something I put on the list that I thought he would like, so he didn't choose it. It had been a long couple of days of gift opening, so I think he was just tired, but he told Lori he didn't like it 🤦🏻♀️. I apologized, of course, and she wasn't offended. Three year olds are the worst sometimes 😂.
We had our first snow day at the beginning of December, followed by two more days off school the next week. That first one was like something straight out of my own childhood memories. The boys suited up and played outside at home for a bit, and then later, we met up with my brother’s family at Lewis Wetzel for sled riding on the hills. Greg and I did that many times growing up. All of the kids had a blast. I wish Philip could’ve come with us, but I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to make that memory with our kids.
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