My kids are the luckiest. I never even knew that St. Nicholas Day was a thing until my kids started going to Catholic school, and didn't start doing anything at home until the kids asked why St. Nick only visited schools. With no good answer, we started giving them something small in their stockings. Some years, I am on the ball and get a thoughtful gift for each child, and some years (like this one) everybody gets a chocolate Santa St. nick and tub o' gum (tic tacs for the fresh-breath-obsessed two year old).
The early birds get the worms.
At the kid's school, they all made little shoes out of paper, after some wise moms thought about how disgusting the school hallways would smell if every kid left a shoe out there all night. Those same wise moms then met on Monday night and filled the little paper shoes with a candy cane, chocolate coins, a prayer card about St. Nick, and this cute St. Nick candy bar. We decorated the stage with some Christmas trees and faux presents and fireplace, and the kids thought it was all so magical. Alexander was so so so very excited for "the REAL St. Nick to come to the school and visit. NOT a guy in costume, the REAL St. Nick."
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| St. Nick 2014 |
After the day was over I asked him if he met St. Nick and he said "Well, it was actually just a guy in a costume because I heard my teacher whisper to another teacher that his costume looked really great this year". Shattered.dreams. But stuffing his face with candy healed his broken heart.
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On an unrelated note, Maggie and Eamon were discussing whether Jesus was right or left handed, and Maggie said, "I know He's right handed. He sits at the right hand of the Father." Well there you go.
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On another unrelated note, I have major CCR this year. That's Christmas Card Regret. I got my kids coordinating outfits, went to a cool place to shoot the photo, and then couldn't decide between two shots. This was one of them:
and the other was the one I eventually chose for the card. The problem is that while the photo looks better staged and the background is interesting, there are too many shadows and the kids are so small in the picture that you can't see their cute little faces. Phil thinks it's the better, more interesting choice, but I think people want to see what the kids look like each year, and they have to squint and hold this one up to some good lighting to do that. Ah well, just know if you get a card from us this year that it's not my favorite and blame Phil, mkay?
I feel better explaining that ;) Carry on Adventing, everybody.
I got my cards done early this year (but not sent). The printing job from CVS is really bad (I should have expected that but always seem to expect better!). But I can't bring myself to care because they're DONE and no one else will probably even notice. You deserve credit and a drink just for HAVING cards, let alone with matching outfits and a specially done picture! Everyone will be thrilled to get it.
ReplyDeletePaper shoes is in fact genius! Christmas card regret is real. I have been there. Luckily not this year. That picture you love would be a nice picture for your wall though!
ReplyDeleteI totally feel you about picture regret- it's so hard to choose just the right one for Christmas cards, and how it looks printed vs. on the computer is usually an issue for me. Womp, womp.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya on the Christmas card thing. While I like ours this year, in hindsight I see its imperfect elements. Jonah's hair was way longer than normal due to the play he was in and the boys were not allowed haircuts after a certain point. Reed is sporting a beard because well, he was growing one last month. We also don't really coordinate in the outfit dept. BUT, I wanted a family photo this year vs just kids and I had to do it on a day I had an in-house photographer around. We landed a beautiful snowy background on the day after Thanksgiving so I declared it Christmas card photo day and moved on. Then there was Benny who was ready to be done before we started. You'll see his pose, a bit model-ish. Or toddler-ish. You'll see it soon! I cannot wait to see yours in my mailbox! ;)
ReplyDeleteUh ...your kids are all smiling...and looking at the camera... and you actually are sending Christmas cards. I kind of think that's a triple win, you know. Unlike SOME peoplet (hangs head in shame)
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