Christmas Traditions OR How we make the magic happen

Marie and I were the first to get married in both of our families so we have spent the last many years trying to figure out what our traditions will be, how our families traditions will change and how the Christmas magic will live on. Here are a few things that were part of our tradition this year. Who knows what next year will look like.

Early on in December we like to kick things off by throwing something in the toilet. Last year it was my glasses. Gratefully this year it was just an orange cone.

As December progresses, of course, we like to do things that help us remember what Christmas is all about. That's right - it is about programs! Singing and dancing and pretending your electric candle is a sword and getting stage fright and overcoming it and peeking under the curtain to see if you can see your parents and getting cookies afterwards and finishing your first semester of Spanish School! I think when Rom was wielding his candle like a sword he was supposed to be waiving it in a "We are the World" kind of action but it ended up a lot more like "I'm going to take over and dominate your world" kind of action.











My mom helped us introduce a new tradition by buying us an Elf on the Shelf. Are you familiar with this product? It is great. It is basically a commercial method of child manipulation. I've been looking for just such a commercial product for a long long time. I always expected I would find it first in pill form but I'll take it in Elf form. If I can just figure out now how to control them the other 11 months out of the year then I will really have something. If you are not familiar with this motivational tool....the elf moves around every night while the kids are asleep and looks for places to hide where he can also watch their behavior. He reports to Santa every night, you see, so you better be good or else! Sometimes our elf is naughty and gets into things and he liked to hide in funny places. Our kids named him Magic. Only adults can touch him or he looses his magic. I think his eyes are creepy so I don't let him hide by my room.

Then there is the joy of the gingerbread house! (and the joy of a very wonderful mom that decided on the first day that it was more fun to eat off than enjoy looking at.)

Next was a VERY SURPRISING visit from the jolly old elf himself. Santa's manners are a little rusty from all that time only dealing with elves at the north pole so when he came to our house he rang his own bells and then just walked in. Lucky for him I think most people want to stay on his good side so they are willing to conform to whatever the man wants. We were no exception. I was very disappointed however, that when Santa reviewed the "Good" and the "Not-so-good" list with my kids, we found that they were on the good list, along with Marie, but that I was on the bad list. ME?? I really thought I had been doing better this year but no one else in my family seemed surprised at all. Figures. I thought Santa was supposed to give ME leverage leading up to Christmas so my kids would be good? In our house Santa gave Lainey clear instructions that she needed to leave him a note on Christmas eve that clarified if I had been reformed or not by Christmas. If not reformed I was getting nothing but a stocking full of potatoes. (He said coal is a common misconception.) Although Lainey has not noticed the variations of Santas (at least not that she will admit) Romney seems to distinguish between the "Real" Santas and the "Not Real" Santas. I'm not sure how he knows or can tell but he is always double checking - "Dad, was that the real Santa?" In this case there was no second guessing. This guy was the real deal and we were SO grateful for his visit. He talked to the kids about the birth of Jesus and ways we can and should celebrate Christmas. He was truly amazing. I also have to agree that he was the real Santa. My only evidence is that I have never seen him before this night or since. Sometimes you see, I know it is not the real Santa and sometimes I even might know the fake Santa's real name. I have no idea in this case so my only conclusion is that Angus Brow was a real elf and that Santa was the real Santa. How else would he know that I should be on the bad list and that Lainey should be on the good list?

Santa also gave us an awesome new tradition! He told the kids in a very serious tone that when Mom and Dad said it was time for bed that they should go outside and look for a red light. What would that red light be? Romney guessed it and whispered, "Rudolph's nose?" YES, Rudolph's nose. When you see Rudolph's nose you will know that Santa is not very far away and you better run as fast as you can and get in your bed because if you are awake when Santa gets there he won't stop and you won't get any presents. It totally worked. We saw Rudolph's nose I've never seen my kids go to bed so fast and easy in my life. It was amazing. Here Romney is taking a pre-bedtime check out the window to be sure there is no sign of Rudolph yet.

Christmas morning also brought Christmas magic. Really - what can beat the magic of nutcracker tickets and a Beatles t-shirt?












Okay - so Lainey liked the Nutcracker tickets but I'm not really sure if Romney actually cared about the t-shirt. He was much more interested in Batman cars, and the Batman cave that Sachie gave him and the his cousin's Batman cave and Batman's friend Robin and basically anything with a Bat symbol on it. He hasn't wanted to leave the house since he got the Batman cave and so far we have only been able to get him to eat once or twice. He has become Batman obsessed.

And post Christmas? Ice fishing and cross country skiing!
Kingfish has decided that this winter is going to be full of ice fishing and he gave the kids fishing poles for Christmas so we had to give them a try. Unfortunately our first outing turned out to be more of a social experience rather than a catching-fish experience but the kids had fun and isn't that all that matters?









I am happy to report that Lainey insisted on going solo with Kingfish in a snowstorm for another shot at the fish and caught a very large cutthroat trout. (from her toes to her hip is how she measured it.) They had to throw it back, however, so I'm not sure if she really caught it or if the Kingfish is now in the process of training an apprentice, kind of like how the Emperor tricks Annikan into becoming Darth Vader.

Here is the only picture of cross country skiing we took. Every time we thought of taking another picture we realized that at least two of the four of us were crying (we each took turns) or complaining about something (we all took turns at this too) because no one has gotten enough sleep in days and our schedules are all messed up but hopefully if I post this picture you will believe that we are perfect and smiling and doing fun things all the time and that sleep isn't even important to us because we are so amazing.