christmas | OUR LIFE IN 3D

Archive for the tag “christmas”

29 Dec 2011

Pop Quiz!

So it is four days after Christmas. Most of our Christmas decorations are still up. We still have 6 months worth of cookies and other sweets stacked on our breakfast bar. New presents are still laying helter-skelter on our living room floor. So I was curious to see what my oldest daughter Dylan, at 3 3/4 years old, gained from all this year’s activity and celebration. As a fairly new parent I am always eager to see any development for our girls. Lets see what Dylan retained this Christmas in this year’s Pop Quiz:
1) Why do we celebrate Christmas? A= “I don’t know” …Daddy (disappointed sigh)

2) What is your favorite thing about Christmas? A= Disney Princess Castle

3) What will you miss the most about Christmas? A= “Hmmmm? Aunt Sue! (After some heavy coaching from Aunt Sue)

4) Where did all your presents come from? A = without hesitation, “Santa!”

5) What was your favorite present? A = Princess Castle!”

6) What did your little sister like the most about Christmas? A = “Winnie the pooh and the pink one” (Piglet)

7) What was your favorite thing you ate this year? A = “Macaroni and Cheese!” (What? With all these cookies?!!)

8) How long should we celebrate Christmas? A = “Until Friday.” (Aunt Sue and Uncle John go home on Friday)

9) How much did we spend this year to celebrate Christmas? A = “Hmmm….a little” ( this was her hardest one to answer)

10) What will you look forward to next year for Christmas? A = “Playing outside.” ~ she says this as we are going to ChuckECheese this afternoon. Her answer could change then.

So, if you want to have a truly rewarding holiday with your 3 or 2 year olds, a few secrets discovered from our Christmas celebration this year were: get them a Princess Castle, spend a little money but celebrate for 5 days, have plenty of holiday Mac and Cheese on hand (forget the cookies…they are unappreciated evidently) and have a favorite relative on hand so they can play outside. From the mouths of babes.. This is what it is all about!

I have to do a better job I guess! (Sigh)

What about you and your Christmas? What was treasured by your kids this year? Let us know in the “Comments” if you have any insights to the magic of Christmas with kids!

Posted in Archives and tagged christmas, cookies, Dylan, princess

26 Dec 2011

2 Comments

And to all a good night…

Merry Christmas to you! We hope your holiday was filled with great treasures and memories. I know, depending on families, it can be a peaceful day with some well earned rest or something more like the 4 Christmas and races to get to other places. Either way, I hope yours was tops!

In reflecting back to our celebration I have to say I am going to get all sappy one last time before I return to Mr. Sarcastic in 2012. I am afraid I am losing my rep…

This year we had a unique perspective (to us) on the Christmas season. You see earlier this year our family was reduced to a one income family. It was quite a shock to us but we are going to be OK. But this year we could not really participate in all the trading of gifts however, which has led us to this view.

Every year we have always participated in the gift giving, as most people do. If you are over the age 16 I really believe you look forward to the ‘giving’ and less to the ‘receiving’. And that’s OK. It is the spirit of the season. Its what we all do every year.

We / I always look for the special gifts, the gifts to make others happy, the gag gifts, the gifts you can’t wait for someone to open. It’s the season for giving and it is fun. And we look forward to the opening of gifts and spreading OUR good wishes in hopes they are received with the spirit and love that was intended.

This year we were largely reduced to a spectators in this holiday gift giving unfortunately. It was almost like we could step back and watch the spirit of Christmas from the bleachers. You know what? What an amazing game to watch!

This year we could witness and absorb all the love that others actually put into the Christmas season. We could witness the love, the thought process behind the love, and see how others plan to spread the ‘season of giving’, instead of just getting caught up in our own giving. We could taste it, smell it, and see it. It was quite a show!

We were visited by as many as 6 or 7 real live Angels this year. And our kids had their best Christmas ever. See for yourself….

Well as ‘Best Ever’s go it was only their 4th and 2nd Christmases respectively. But they had fun. And we had fun. But I won’t drill home the details for fear of starting to sound like some TV Christmas special. But I would like to leave you with one thought.

Sometime between now and the new year, block out all your wonderful giving and generosity moments this year and take a few quiet moments to consider what others have done for you. Consider the gifts of time or distance traveled, packages or maintaining endless friendships. Take time to notice that Others Rock!

I want to thank all the Angels in our life for making it special this and every year.

Merry Christmas!

PS: I finished this post in under 30 minutes this morning as both of our girls are upstairs playing with their Aunt Sue. The gifts just keep on coming….

Posted in Archives and tagged christmas, gifts, kids, love

14 Dec 2011

3 Comments

The Alamo!

Ready for Christmas? Here is the daily Christmas mood music! I stumbled across this lively Celtic carol, “A Soalin”. Fancy a more traditional carol? Click here to hear one you know by heart.

Last night after dinner mommy and I were discussing a meeting of mine that had occurred earlier that day. The only thing that I could think of during the meeting was The Alamo!. I was out manned, out gunned, out prepared! I was creamed!

Mommy sympathizing said, “well don’t worry about it. I am a worrier and I am not worried about it”.

I agreed saying, “Yes you are. But you are also a good comforter too. And I appreciate it”. Warmly I followed, “and I would like to throw you over top of me right now”.

Mommy smiled back as she grasped my homonymic play on words. ~ sadly she did not take me up on the romance!

But Dylan said, while still looking down at her toy in her lap, “But Daddy you might hurt her if you do dat”.

I’ll take a daughter who fancies ‘care and concern’ over romance any time!

Happy Holidays!