Wild and Woolley Pre-Christmas Events

While doing some last-minute panic shopping today with my sister, Jocelyn, she advised me that I should do more updating blogs about family. So here's a bit of what's been going on during the last week or so....

FEELING AGED: When the word "retro" conjures up actual toys from your childhood, you know the years are passing swiftly. We unpacked a package from my mom this week and found a little surprise - this is a toy that we played with when I was little.

When you pull out the little bottom drawer, Santa still dances and music still plays. It's yellowed with age. I should start telling the kids it's from when Grammy was little.

RELIVING FUN MICRO-TRADITIONS: I wonder what memories my kids will have when they're older and have to come up with their own yearly standbys. When I was little, Santa always managed to find a little Whitman's Sampler to put in my stocking (I seriously sound like a grandma).

Santa still puts them in the stockings at our house. While they ain't no See's candy, there's something awesome about getting a whole box of chocolates all to yourself. Grammy supplied some of these little boxes in her package this week. Thanks for the retro candy!

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DECORATING: At our house we decorate gingerbread houses so that my kids can eat the candy off them like a cloud of devouring locusts almost before the frosting hardens into pristine cement.

Just before the feeding frenzy - half the candy was eaten before the decorating began

Next year I think I'm just going to get the kit, unload the candy into three individual bowls, hand my kids their forks, and let them have at it. The gingerbread itself can be dumped in the garbage, unused. There's nothing like a gnawed-on gingerbread house to spruce up a Christmas centerpiece and announce, in case there was any doubt, that kids live here.

ATTENDING CHRISTMAS CONCERTS: Spencer put on a Christmas concert with the other first graders at his school this week. There were tons of cute songs performed by the most enthusiastic singing group I've ever seen at an elementary school.

Miraculously loud, but mercifully not much shouting. Very well done. Good job, teachers.



MORE HILARITY FROM JAKE: I thought Jake was going to sleep, light had been turned off, goodnights said. Then I noticed something going on at the end of the hall and lo and behold it was some serious reading. The hardhat was a smooth move and got him one book before the lights were turned off again since I couldn't immediately squash such a unique approach to being naughty. I'm surprised his eyeballs worked at all with that searchlight aimed at his face.




CHRISTMAS WALK OF SHAME: I came home from tonight's shopping trip with Jocie to find two amazing and lavish gifts from neighbors - no pics of the gifts since it's late and I'm lazy (but you can see us here assembling our own giveaways). Package number one was a cute lidded glass container (large) filled to the rim with Hershey's kisses and decorated beautifully, an inspiring Christmas book, and a box of Bertie Bott's Beans (because my thoughtful friend remembers my kids' sheer joy at braving those nasty little things). Package number two falls in the category of home decor and has found its place right by my front door, assuring all visitors that, indeed, the Christmas spirit is found within. It's a wooden Santa, professionally painted, with a little rust bow around its neck, and a dangling sign that says "Flakes Live Here," all poised on top of a hand-painted yardstick to measure how deep the snow is. You wanna know what these kind people got from me a couple days ago? A small bag of homemade caramels (turned out okay) and fudge that was on the dry side. Is there anything I can do to fix this situation? I will hang my head in shame at church tomorrow, but luckily they're both so nice they'll tell me it was the best fudge they've ever had. Uhhgg.