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What’s the best way to make a child even more excited about the Christmas Season? Give them cheap little toys on each day until Christmas!

On our first Christmas together, I noticed that Ben received a festive home-made advent calendar/stocking type creation from his mom. The advent calendar was complete with little pockets for each day and had Ben’s name emblazoned in red felt at the top. Each of the little pockets were fitted with a tiny wrapped package to be opened on their corresponding day. The gifts were mostly things like pencils, chocolates and even the occasional mini-Norwegian flag.
Once we were married Ben’s mom figured that I could start purchasing and wrapping little gifts for my husband’s advent calendar. I thought otherwise and decided that I did not have the time or patience to wrap 25 tiny gifts for my 6’4″ husband. I tend to lack skills in the whole doing ‘thoughtful’ things department . Thankfully Ben is my better half and is extremely thoughtful. He recently purchased a Norwegian advent calendar for our own daughter. Ben took the time to put her name on the top, buy her gifts, and wrap 25 little surprises for the Lil! Now every morning we go the Lily’s advent calendar and she gets to unwrap a gift. The only obstacle to the cuteness of this whole situation is that a 19 month old does not really understand the concept of ‘only one each day.’ We have been dealing with 2.5 mini-meltdowns each day over why she cannot open another gift. Sigh….

We are thrilled to be in our own home this Christmas. In the past we usually camped out at our respective parent’s homes on their corresponding years. That was fine and good for a while, but now that we have our own little ‘elf’ at home we are excited to start our own family’s Christmas traditions.

Bizarrely enough, one of the first major arguments that Ben and I had while dating was concerning whether or not our children would ‘do Santa Claus.’ Please note: we were probably 19 and 20 at the time- we didn’t waste time getting to the ‘big issues,’ you know about things like Santa and our future kids’ names. Things that all 19 year-olds think about. Anyways, I was on the pro- Santa side being that I did the whole Santa thing growing up.My parents always told the kids in our family that they had to write out a check to Santa for the cost of all of our toys. This tactic kept us from becoming greedy little gremlins who thought that we could ask Santa for a pony and receive it without any financial repercussions. To me Santa was just a glorified toy-maker who somehow squeezed down our chimney to deliver the goods. On the other side of the spectrum, Ben’s family never really ‘did Santa.’ Rather in Norwegian fashion Ben’s family would open all of their presents from each other on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning they would receive their stockings filled with chocolate and goodies. There was always an understanding that the gifts came from Ben’s parents not a jolly fat guy in red velour.

Fast forward to 2009, we have a 19 month old and the age old argument is hanging around in the back of our minds. At this point we have decided to compromise and combine our traditions. This year Lil will be receiving gifts from her Mom and Dad (have not yet duked it out over whether that will be on ‘Eve’ or ‘Day’) and a stocking from Santa. This way she will not be the odd Debbie Downer in her elementary school class, crushing little children’s hopes and dreams by declaring that ‘Santa is not real.’ Yet, she will also recognize that Santa is not a huge deal and focus on the fact the merry man should not be the reason that most of the world is having a giant party on the 25th. Victory on both accounts! Now we just have to put this plan in motion. We figure that we still have a couple of years to change our minds- if things don’t work with the compromise their won’t be any serious damage done to our child’s naive little presuppositions.

P.S. If you are loving the sketchy Santa pic at the top of the page you might want to check out this fabulous holiday blog http://www.sketchysantas.com/ . It will definitely bring you a little yuletide cheer.

Yesterday morning, Ben dashed to grab a screaming Lily (side note: that would be a good name for an emo band ‘Screaming Lily,’ maybe I need to channel my inner musician and start one?) and yelled down for me to grab my camera quick! What could possibly need photographic documenting at 7:20 AM? Snow! Snow that actually stuck to the ground in the balmy San Francisco East Bay.One of the huge reasons that we moved down to California was to escape cold, wet weather… hmm we are feeling a little confused at the moment! Victoria has yet to see a single snow flake and San Francisco gets a dumping? Have I mentioned that in the 18 years I grew up in the Bay Area I never once saw snow on the ground? There was occasionally iciness on cold, winter mornings but never the white stuff.

A small part of me is secretly excited that I did not have to miss out on the annual winter dusting this year… I could get used to this whole global warming thing.

Really Lil?! Your timing could not be better. Should we also try potty training and ditch the pacifer over the next 3 weeks too?

 I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our gracious Canadian friends and family for the outpouring of love and generosity that was lavished upon us in our last days in Victoria. We appreciate the support in this next stage of our adventure. We also plan on visiting often- so you have not gotten rid of us yet. It will probably feel like we have never left!

10. Real packing only happens during toddler resting periods- that means afternoons and nights. You will be watching Sesame Street at 10am, stressing out that you have hardly packed but realize that to start packing when said toddler is awake and raring to go is futile.
9. Toddler will begin to expect pizza for every meal.
8. Playing Hide ‘n Seek in the moving truck proves to be a dangerous game.
7. You will realize 5 days too late that the toddler has not been bathed in a week. Whoops- is it really your little toes that I am smelling from across the room?
6. Boxes and packing tape become the toys of choice.
5. Monkey Syndrome is activated- you will find your body a continual host to a clingy, 28lb monkey, whining not to be put down.
4. Moving = extra sensitive and schmoopy toddler. Just try to leave without sneaking out- I dare you.
3. Elmo and Dora the Explorer will become your toddler’s closest friends- at least for a while.
2. Toddler will start to think it is normal to keep toys, food, underwear (anything really) in cardboard boxes.
1. New location means new, extra-early wake-up time. Ugh, enough said.

Lil and I have less than a week left in Canada and needless to say we are excited to get this show on the road and start the next chapter. Overall we cannot complain- we are blessed and despite our current displacement life is good.

A little out of place for this post but thought I would post a picof Lily the Bumblebee and Cousin ” Thomas the Tank Engine” Anders on Halloween. At least we got to do a little Trick or Treating amidst the moving. We had a decent candy haul this year.