Christmas

The Christmas Meme

Just cause Mata said so.

1.Real tree or artificial or treeless? Any special traditions with the tree?

Well, I would prefer a real tree but TW’s allergic so we have artificial. A new Martha Steward artificial this year. The only special traditions with the tree are to get out of the way when a zillion kids try and decorate it with every single ornament we have, just as fast as they can.

2. Eggnog or Cider or Mulled Wine?

Uh no. Never. Thanks for offering, though.

3. Spiritual or Secular celebration?

Both? Heh.

4. Favorite Christmas music?

Silver Bells. Though the middle schooler playing Good King Wenceslas has been a pleasure this year. I remember when I learned to play it on the piano. I’m guessing I drove my mother a little nuts.

5. One special holiday memory.

Errrr. The year Santa didn’t wrap any gifts when I was like 5? I was sick and grouchy. That was totally special ’cause today I can annoy my mother by whining about that. Heh. Or the year Santa brought Teddy Ruxpin to Jenn, that was awesome. Santa was one cool dude.

Your turn. And if you do it, you should let Mata know.

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I’m all about the bling…

Ha. Not. So totally not about the bling.

The car for Christmas wasn’t inexpensive and it was nice but it wasn’t the best gift TW has given me.

The really expensive and very special 40th birthday party was fantastic (even if I did end up having to do all of the work for it, ahem) but again not the best present (sorry Melissa and travelers from far away.)

I’m not sure I know what the best gift was, there have been so many…

1) The photographs from the newspaper, printed and framed, that TW described to me in those very early days. (want to see a picture?)

2) The carved jack-o-lantern she sent to me via USPS for Halloween.

4) A little pillow book with TW marshmallowy sentiments tucked inside.

5) The quilt, oh lord the quilt. TW doesn’t sew – or even cut straight – but I have a tiny practice quilt and a full sized quilt made by her own little hands.

6) The little book of, well, more marshmallow fluffy conversations that she and I have had. Very sweet.

7) The socks. Errr. So I don’t actually have those yet. She’s been working on them for 9 months because, again, she doesn’t knit. Or she didn’t ’til she decided she needed to knit me a pair of socks. But, she’s working on them and I might have one sock by Valentine’s Day. And I will love that one sock a lot more than any piece of jewelry, not because I don’t really like jewelry but because it really IS the thought that counts.

Forget the bling, give me a sock instead.

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Advent Calendar Angst

I said this morning on Twitter that we had successfully decorated the house and tree last night – with all six children (and two extra significant others) and no fights or meltdowns. This was true. But the Advent Calendar Angst has begun – quietly, so far.

I was searching through the last box for the advent calendar and concerned because I hadn’t seen it. Chris informed me that it was already up. Michelle got to it and hung it. This led to quite the discussion between me, Chris and Jenn about the calendar and the mouse and Michelle.

All evening long, the children waged the battle of the mouse. Someone put it in the December 1 pouch (ie Michelle) and someone else came along and moved it to the 24th. It was put back in the 1st pouch and again moved to the 24th. Over and over. All night.

It’s December 2nd and I’m wondering who is going to move the mouse – and which child (or children) will interfere and move it to the wrong pouch. Kids are crazy.

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Ant or grasshopper?

Errr, I’m something else entirely but I’m not sure what.

Citymama is asking whether we finish our holiday shopping at the last minute (like a slow poke ant) or if we get it out of the way quickly (like a grasshopper). I’m having trouble categorizing myself.

I tend to finish quickly but then, much to TW’s chagrin, I start shopping all over again. I can’t help it. I’ll find a truly excellent gift for child number four that I simply cannot pass up so I’ll buy it. Then, I’ll find the perfect gift for child number one and I’ll buy that too. This means that I’ll probably actively look for perfect gifts for the other kids so that we keep the gift ratio sort of similar for everyone.

So yea. I finish early but seem to constantly buy right up until the very last minute. Budget and original lists be damned.

How about you? Ant or grasshopper or something else entirely?

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Happy Holidays

My life, right now, is all about the holidays. And I’m not talking about Halloween. I mean the REAL holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s and all those in between. Crazy since I am really not a holiday type person.

I’m going to attempt to get in the spirit by posting my personal HOLIDAY WISH LIST all in caps so you understand that this is a big deal. Not something I do. At. All. Ever.

1) iPhone! I really do want one and I’ve realized that I also need one. But wait. One is coming to me within the next week, so Christmas has come early. Maybe I should have it gift wrapped by Apple?

2) Bookshelves! I need more bookshelves! Hard to believe since we just bought seven.

3) A library ladder. I’ve always wanted one, haven’t you? And now I have these super tall bookshelves so I need one. I wish IKEA made one in Brown/Black and not just the Brown or the Silver metal. I wonder if I can find a Brown/Black or Black one somewhere else. Levenger maybe?

4) A new digital camera. The question is – which one do I want? I haven’t decided but would love more suggestions (I say more because some nice bloggers have been good enough to give me some suggestions.)

5) World peace! (See, this is hard for me. I am not good at holiday wish lists for myself.)

6) Seen It t-shirt. Because I have. I guarantee it.

7) Emma Peel Doll. I totally and completely covet!

8) A red couch and a bathtub combo. This would be awesome in the office.

9) Flor modular carpet. If it’s good enough for Dooce, it’s good enough for me.

10) Nothing. I think this is what I need most of all.

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A Pogo Stick is the Perfect Welcome Mat

A few years ago, RJ asked Santa for a pogo stick. Santa, being the obliging sort, provided. RJ pogo’d a little, but she’s not a great pogo-er so she put the stick aside. Prince J tried to pogo. Once. E loves the idea of the pogo stick but she doesn’t have enough weight to make it really pogo the way she would like. Chris and Michelle did some pogo-ing that Christmas. The half-child, who no longer lives with us, also pogo-d and liked it. But, mostly, the pogo stick sits on the front porch right next to the front door – forgotten and unused.

Except…

Except when Michelle and Christopher bring a new friend over to our house. Then, the pogo stick is a much loved, much used toy.

We will hear a car drive up. We will hear older teen and young adult voices outside. And then, we’ll hear a joyful “wowwwwwwwww a pogo stick!!!!” and then much bouncing ensues. And an awful lot of laughter, too.

These older teens and young adults love that pogo stick. It is really a great welcome mat.

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Daily Dose of Holidays – Advent Angst

advent.jpgI have an Avon advent calendar that my ex mil gave me in 1987. It looks exactly like the one in this picture except right now it has a tiny Starbucks reindeer in it instead of the mouse. The mouse is missing. Again. It does that and has always done that. Missing for years much to the dismay of my children only to reappear again a few years later for one trip through the calendar and then back it goes into hiding. We had the mouse last year. This year, no mouse. It’s ok. We make do. But we still say “move the mouse” when we discuss whose turn it is, whose turn it isn’t and whose turn it is never going to be again if you don’t stop whining about that darn mouse.

Did you detect some frustration there? This advent calendar has a history of causing angst amongst my oldest three children and for the last three years it has caused angst among the youngest three.

His highness, Prince J, only causes a stink over it when he wants to annoy another sibling (preferably Princess E or Princess M). He really doesn’t care about the mouse at all. Moving it is like work. Someone else can do it and if they don’t, Christmas still comes. Work for no reason. No thanks.

RJ really doesn’t have advent calendar issues because she is perfect and always bows to the will of any sibling in the room. (she does this because later she can play the martyr role. I know this because it’s a trait often shared by those with October birthdays. Not me of course, but others. Born in October…)

That leaves Princess E. The baby in the family. Those of you who have experience with “the baby in the family” probably understand exactly what has been going on. But there is a twist to the story…

The twist is that Princess E is not the only “baby in the family”. Princess M, generally referred to as Michelle (the 16 year old with the hair), is also the “baby in the family”. These two girls have been having “move the mouse issues” virtually non-stop since the calendar went up. If E moves it to the proper pocket, Michelle will move it back a day and then move it forward – and then tell E she did it later on. E will do the same thing to Michelle. What’s even better is when Michelle comes home at midnight and says “ohhhh it’s tomorrow, I can move the mouse” when she knows it is E’s turn to do it. When E is not here and not going to be here for a few days, and it’s just Michelle, I have to actually REMIND Michelle to move the mouse. She can go days and not think of it but as soon as E is home or coming home, she goes into move the mouse first, last and only mode!

Advent calendars are a pain if you have more than one child. But they are a real nightmare if you have two “baby in the family” children to deal with!

Edited on 12/24/05 – The mouse came out of hiding! And I’m the one who put him in the FINAL little pouch! hahahahahaha! That’ll teach those princesses!

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