Christmas Came Early

Initially we weren't going to spend Christmas day with my family.  We were going to travel north after Christmas.  We are big into giving our kids traditions that don't change even though our address often does.  One of those traditions is having Christmas day at our house.  Sissy still believes in Santa and we realize that it's not going to be much longer that we have the opportunity to track Santa via NORAD, leave milk and cookies, reindeer food, etc.  The factor that tipped the scales into spending Dec. 25th in NC vs. in Jax was that we are in an apt. and without all our decorations and without a tree.  The last time we lived in an apt in SLC, we flew back to PA to spend Christmas with both our families.  We flew out Christmas day though so the kids still got presents delivered on Christmas day and we still held tight to our traditions.

This is Jingle.  He's our Elf on the Shelf that visits us every December.  This year he arrived after we returned from Thanksgiving at Kiawah.  He's a scout elf who reports back to Santa every night.  He informs Santa of the kids' behavior.  Some elves are mischievous, but ours is pretty good - want him to be a good role model of appropriate behavior for our kiddos.

One morning we found him reading Twas The Night Before Christmas

Another morning he left us a grocery list of all his favorite things along with a joke that said "What's the best thing to give your parents for Christmas?  A list of everything you want!"

In the movie "Elf," Buddy is told by Santa that when he visits NYC, if he sees gum on the street, that it isn't free candy.  Every time we watch that part, it grosses us out!  Guess Jingle thought that part was funny!

One morning we found Jingle in a bowl of GF Frosted Flakes with a note that said "What do snowmen eat for breakfast?  Frosted Flakes!"

The kids wrote Santa a letter and sent it to the North Pole via our Elf, Jingle.  Jingle took the letter back with him and Santa granted our children's wish of bringing their presents early so that he didn't have to make a stop in NC.  My brother and his wife don't celebrate Christmas and we didn't want to have Santa deliver presents to our kids and not to their children.  Santa granted our children's wish and delivered their presents on Saturday, December 21st.  They woke up to the surprise that he was able to make arrangements to arrive a few days early.  

Both kids were thrilled that they both received all the things they had on their lists for Santa.  Kendall requested a stuffed Marie from the Aristocats, a barn for her AGD horse, a camper for her AGD jeep and dolls, a Nerf bow w/ darts, and the Lego Chima Croc Swamp Hideout.  Riley received a couple big Lego sets and some different Nerf dart guns.  Both kids also got some new Disney pins they had wanted as well as a few other smaller items like a Hidden Mickey book for a scavenger hunt through WDW, new AGD doll clothes, etc. 

Both kids were very thankful for their gifts from Santa and made sure mom and dad knew that the real meaning of Christmas isn't about getting gifts but about receiving God's greatest gift.  I am so blessed that our children understand this at such a young age.  During prayers Sissy will often thank God for sending his son to die for our sins.  We choose to celebrate Christmas as way for us to remember that by Christ being born all those years ago, He was fulfilling God's promise of sending a savior who was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.  Without Jesus, we know that we could never spend eternity with God.  Jesus took on the sins of the world for us...can you imagine?

This year we bought a new movie from our favorite Buck Denver series "What's in the Bible."  This year they had a new one called "Why Do We Call It Christmas?"  It does a fabulous job explaining all of our Christmas traditions and how they came to be.  It shows that some may have begun from pagan traditions but all focus the attention back on Jesus.  It's a fabulous must see.  It taught me a thing or two - like why we decorate a pine tree in our house every December!

This year had a much different feel to it by celebrating early - it kinda lost it's wow factor - It was a bit anti-climatic.  We continued to do our 25 day scripture devotion count down to Christmas each night before bed, but after the gifts had arrived, it just didn't have the same effect.  Next year and the years ahead, we plan to spend in our home with our children - providing them the stability that traditions bring.  Our kids have fewer traditions than I did growing up because we keep moving them around all the time, but some things just need to always be the same so that no matter where we are, no matter who is with us, we are grounded as a family.