You had a lovely Christmas season, if the constant singing of Christmas carols was any indication. The day after Thanksgiving, you started watching the Mickey Christmas special on VHS, and it was all Christmas, all the time, from there on out. You sang Christmas carols constantly. If you didn't know the words, you hummed loudly. You sang them two at a time, singing the lyrics of Jingle Bells to the tune of Deck the Halls. You were in full Festive Music Mode. It was adorable.
Corbin had an after-school holiday craft fair on a Friday afternoon, from which we brought back a candy cane. We were supposed to decorate it as a mouse, but you both just wanted to eat it. So I opened it up, but when I tried to break off a piece, it shattered all over the kitchen floor. You each had a tiny little bite, but it was clearly unsatisfactory. The next morning, your very first words to me were, "Let's go to the store and buy candy canes!" Which we did, and you were very happy.
Then the next morning, you very first words to me were, "I want to eat a candy cane!"
Grandma got out all of the Christmas story books, and they all ended up in your room. So your bedtime reading for the month was The Night Before Christmas, and The Twelve Days of Christmas, and The Sweet Smells of Christmas. Thank goodness for The Biggest Snowball, which had no mention of Christmas whatsoever.
We managed to some regular decorating before our holiday decorating. We hung pictures in the living room, and in your room, and in Corbin's room. You now have on your walls: a Michael Parkes poster; a print of Winged Figure, by Abbot Handerson Thayer; and a painting of Einstein, painted by your Aunt Erin.
Then Grandma started getting out the Christmas decorations. You and Corbin helped, which is how we ended up with dinosaurs at the stable with Mary and Joseph. You helped put lights up on the front porch, and of course you helped decorate the Christmas tree. First you helped by hanging a million ornaments on only one branch. Then you helped by taking the ornaments off of the tree just to watch Corbin get frustrated at your clear violation of Christmas Tree Decoration Procedures.
Christmas Eve was not what we'd hoped. I got home from work a little early and we went to a Mass that was supposed to be the Family Mass. Grandma had gone to a couple of Sunday Masses, and we thought it would be okay. It ended up being the longest, strangest, most boring Christmas Mass I've ever been to. After over an hour of children's pageant, Jerry Lee Lewis style renditions of Rudolph and Frosty, and a reading of the Begats (Honestly, the Begats! On Christmas! The most boring readings in the entire New Testament! Crazy!), we just left. Dad and I had already taken you and Corbin outside, where we discovered most of the other families had gone because the Mass was taking so long, and Grandma decided that she didn't even care about Communion any more. So we just went home and put you to bed.
Christmas Day was lots of fun. We opened presents, of course. You're still don't quite get unwrapping presents, but one we got some unwrapped for you, you enjoyed things. It was a very dragony Christmas. You got a dragon ornament from Grandma, and a dragon with a warrior woman rider from me and Dad. You got a dinosaur puzzle from Santa, and lots of books and movies from the Thornes and Spencers. Grandma Thorne sent a card with snowman stickers, and you thought that was a lot of fun. You also got a beautiful doll from Aunt Lena. She sewed the face and did the hair, and Maria made two outfits for her. You like to make me change her clothes, and she sleeps in the doll bed that my Aunt Annie made for my doll, when I was little.
We finally got some rain, too, which was a lovely gift. We lined up all of our buckets under the patio roof, and collected a barrel full of rain water. It was supposed to get used on the plants, of course, but for the couple of weeks before we got a dedicated barrel, you had a lot of fun playing in it. Every time we saw you going out into the backyard, we knew it was only a matter of time before you came in with your sleeves and pants cuffs dripping wet. At least it's easier to dry t-shirts than snow pants.
Love,
Mom
Water collection:
Christmas Decorations, Miriam Style:
Opening presents:
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