Christmas Take Two...

I probably should post these things as they happen rather than trying to remember it all… and paying the price when the damn blog thing can’t connect to “home” and decides to delete everything. Piece of CRAP!

Christmas Eve and Day were really fun. There is so much chaos leading up to Christmas – work is busy, kids are busy, a million things to do and prepare… and it all goes by so fast. 2008 was no different. I am going to try and do a better job this year of holding a couple vacation days back til the very end so I can use them those few days leading up to Christmas.

We had a great dinner on Christmas Eve (seriously – I mean good, like one of the best meals I have had in 7 months. It all tasted so GOOD!) and then went over to some friends house for dessert and drinks. Very low key, but fun. We got back home around 9:30 and then the kids (and Ken!) all opened one present – the ceremonial and traditional “Christmas Eve present” (selected by me of course!). The three of them were not at all surprised to find new, cozy PJ’s wrapped up – my not-so-secret way of ensuring at least a chance at decent Christmas morning pictures… (but more on that later).

We got the kids herded up to bed around 11 – at this point I am freaking exhausted beyond belief. We give them the fastest 25 minutes ever to fall asleep before we start digging and dragging out stuff to set up for Christmas morning. In the midst of this Ken asks me where the stockings are for Lexie and Maggie? I stare at him blankly – having no clue what he was talking about.

“The stockings… for the cat and dog. Ainsley asked Santa to bring stockings for Lexie and Maggie. It was in her letter to him!”

SHIT!!!!!!!

I have no stockings for the cat or dog. In fact I barely have stocking stuffers for my husband… but whatever. My daughter asked for 2 things, and I neglected to find half of her request. Ken is starting to panic… what do we do? I had bought presents for the cat and dog, but the kids were with me and helped choose the things that we bought – so there was no way we could fake it with that stuff.

So – what do I do? I resort to a note. Quickly, I dash of a letter to each child praising them for having such a great year, etc – and in Ainsley’s note specifically I let her know that it was incredibly sweet of her to ask for presents for her cat and dog. “Here, in the North Pole,” I type, pretending to be Santa… “we only build toys for children, not pets. So I have spoken with your mom and dad, and they told me that they have special presents for Lexie and Maggie so the pets will be happy.”

It’s the best I’ve got at this point – we just hope that it works.

Finally – it’s just past midnight, and I have to go to bed. In Ken’s family, the tradition has always been that stockings are placed on the bed, not left down by the tree… so they are the first thing seen by the kids when they wake up in the morning. It’s a great tradition that I love… mostly.

Where this goes to hell in a handbasket is when your kids WAKE UP AT 1 AM!!!!!!

Oh yes… 1:06. I am awoken by shrieks and discussion over the monitor in Matthew’s room – they are both up and diving into their stockings, screaming that Santa has been there. Ken and I look at each other and then bolt – run up the stairs, trying to stop the complete unraveling of Christmas at this un-godly hour. We open Matthew’s door and all the lights are on and they have everything dumped out. I look at them both and say the first thing that comes to my mind… “Santa may have dropped off these stockings, but there is nothing by the tree! He’s not going to leave anything if you don’t go to SLEEP! In fact he might even be here, waiting – because you are AWAKE!”

Matthew and Ainsley are like deer in the headlights now – total fear. They literally jump into their beds and get under the covers… Ken is piling the stuff back into stockings, I am trying to get my blood pressure under control, and the kids are trying to hide in case Santa is in the freaking house. As I am walking out the door I hear soft sobbing from Ainsley’s bed… she’s upset. I go back to her, and hug her and ask what’s wrong?

“There were no toys in my stocking!” she says. (Now I know for a fact that there are…) but she is ramping up for a blow out cry fest here…

“Ainsley! There was a purple light saber in there! I saw it!” Matthew yells over to her from under his covers. God bless that child from here to Honolulu because he was right, and his relaying this detail to Ainsley completely diffused her anxiety and they were headed back to sleep.

Christmas morning was far less eventful and way more fun… the kids had a ball opening up their gifts and enjoyed playing Santa handing out things to everyone else too. The notes from Santa were a hit and nobody batted an eyelash about the stocking incident. Lexie loved her new bed, and Maggie is indifferent (as usual) to the laser pointer.

Oh – and the pictures? Yeah – we totally forgot about the camera. I got nuttin’… J