Tuesday, December 01, 2009

December 1st

It's December!! Can you even believe it? I don't have the energy to blog about Thanksgiving yet, but I thought December needed to be marked somehow. Here's a few things going down at this house.

  • The Christmas tree is standing naked in the living room. It's a pre-lit tree, and none of the lights are working. We have issues with strange light switches that seem to control nothing in this house. Last year we realized one of them controlled the outlet we happened to have the tree plugged into. (4 years of climbing behind the tree to turn it off, when all along we could have been flipping a switch.) I thought that maybe a strange switch could be the problem this year, but nope. We've unplugged and replugged every strand, switched outlets, flipped switches and nothing is working. Then this morning I walked downstairs and one strand was miraculously on. One, nothing more. What in the world??? Who knows if the tree will be lit this year.


  • On Black Friday I bought two cute 4 ft potted trees to place near the fireplace. One pot is chipped, the other is completely mangled. I'm just turning them around. No energy to return them. I guess that's what you get for $10.


  • We watched Disney's new "Christmas Carol" over Thanksgiving and now Carter won't let us turn out the lights and refuses to sleep by himself. (He was just starting to get really good about it.) That show was creepy! I mean, I know the story is strange, but Disney seemed to really focus on the scary. Nothing very cheery and Christmas-y about it. I give it a thumbs down, and will stick with Mickey's version from here on out. (Although, the 3D animation was incredible!)


  • Halle has been asking and asking about Santa. (You know the question.) I'm a firm believer in "when a child asks a question, tell them the truth", so I answered. Many, many tears were shed and I questioned my philosophy. Alyssa has known from the beginning, I never allowed the facade. Jarom didn't agree, so we did it differently with Halle. And although the belief was so fun and pure joy each year with Halle, the end result sucked (to be quite frank). Not sure how I'm going to handle it with the little kids. What do you think? How do you do it? How old were you? (I was of the Alyssa camp, never believed.)


  • And not to end this post so dreary, (I really didn't intend to do that when I started, but it sounds pretty bahumbugish so far.) I have 75% of my Christmas shopping completed! This is a record for me. I am a "buy-something-on-Christmas-Eve" kind of gal.


  • AND I have my Christmas candle lights in the windows. LOVE driving home at night and seeing all my windows lit up.


How is your decorating coming along? Your tree lights on?

11 comments:

Brenda said...

Sorry about your tree, I hate the whole lights not working situation. Why can't they make any that last???? I am impressed with all the progress on Christmas-I am trying to crank it out, since we are adding a baby to the fesivities. Wouldn't it be nice to have it all done, and actually enjoy the season???

I hope your little boy can recover soon. I had a similar experience trying to take my oldest to the Joseph Smith movie at the visitors center! Serious Trauma!!!

Good Luck with the tree and the rest of your holiday lists!!!

Jewelle said...

You've sealed my decision on NOT going to see A Christmas Carol. That story shouldn't be scary. Santa...well, either way you look at it the kids are going to be disappointed. If they never believe, it is kind of a let down from the beginning. If you wait until they ask "the question" then they are disappointed. Then you get the lucky few who believe but "quietly" stop believing at some point in time. I was one of those. To this day my mom will still right "from santa" on the presents. I'm trying that approach with my kids. If they ask, well, I'll have to deal with the tears then!

Mama Williams said...

O Elena! You've got to get TIMERS! That has been the trick for us.

My trees is up...no decorations yet. But the outdoor lights and nativity are all set up. Only took 3 days. Can I just leave the tree bare?

I'm simplifing for real this year. Sorry No Christmas cards. Just the blog and fb for me. No neighbor gifts or mountains of cookies to bake....just a simple poem scrolled with a candy cane is what I'm givin to well wishers. Trying to make the time to focus on the kids, read stories and enjoy the moments before they pass. Sheesh this was long. I should go post already! Hang in there! I'll have to call you about Halle! Condolences! I feel your delemna.

Natalie and Quin said...

I cried and asked my parents why they lied to me about Santa, but really I am glad that I had that magic for even a few years. I wish they had never told me the truth, I would love to still believe in Santa.

Tim and Stacey Cardon said...

I'm sorry about the "Santa" issue! That's a hard one. As for my tree, not sure it's gonna fit in my living room this year, due to my awkward recliner that I bought to ease my morning sickness! Ha! But don't you worry, I will find a way even if it ends up in the kitchen!

Tonya said...

Oh... that is so sad... I still believe in Santa... I cry every year durring Santa's arrival in the Macy's parade. Santa, John Wayne, Ronald Reagan will live on forever. Poor Hallie...why do kids have to grow up.

Sorry about your light trouble, but thanks for the heads up about A Christmas Carol. Callie has been wanting to see and now I think I will rethink that idea....

Hang in there tis the season... Love ya

Unknown said...

1. You MUST check out The Muppets Christmas Carol. It ROCKS!!!!

2. We do Santa with my girls. About 2 years ago Essie asked me if Santa was real and I said "what do you think?" And she said she thought it was me. And I said you're right. But we did look up the REAL Saint Nicholas and talked about him. Now both girls will tell you that Santa isn't real, but his spirit is.

For myself - I figured out Santa wasn't real because he and my mom had the same wrapping paper. I don't remember it being a big deal....

Lee Ann said...

Hope you get the lights working soon. That's my favorite part. A tree just isn't a tree without lights!

As for Santa, I never believed, so we have never talked about Santa. Anna was good with that until she was four and went to a CHRISTIAN pre-school. From there she came home convinced there is a Santa. But, I think we're back to reality now. We talk about St Nick and why there is a Santa, but I also talk about the real part how there is no magic and there's no way one man could do all of that. Bahumbug I know! I just couldn't lie to them. And.....I had so many friends go ahead of me dealing with emotions that Halle is having and I just couldn't do it.

She'll be fine. She'll remember the fun she's had. As for the others.....I'd end it now:) That's just me.

Deidra Smith said...

Kade likes to tell the kids that Santa is real too, but i struggle with it every year. i don't want to dissapoint them later. he thinks it wouldn't feel so magical if they didn't believe, but i disagree. i don't know if i believed in santa or not, but if i did-i quit at a young age. But, I still laid in bed struggling to get to sleep every christmas eve until i was almost an adult. there is just somethins so exciting about going to bed and waking up to a room full of presents and a filled stocking-regardless of who left the presents. so if it was my choice, i would tell them the truth, but talk about how Santa Clause is the happy spirit of Christmas. I have a family home evening that talks about him kind of being a symbol of Christ and the gift he gave us. so i'd rather go with that idea.

CB said...

Sounds like you are starting to get there. My tree is naked too right now - ha ha. Hope you get your lights working - that stinks.

The Christmas Carol was a bit scary and I got motion sick in it too but it was good.

Santa - That is always a tough one. I never tell. For all my kids I would say "What do you think?" If they said they thought it was me then I would say that I hoped they were right and leave it at that. Then the next year there would be a bit more questioning.
When they finally would tell me that they knew (without my confirmation) I would just say that they now belonged to a special club and that it was a secret we did not tell others because to keep believing was Christmas magic (plus you don't want to spoil it for other kids).
They all liked being "in the club" and in on the secret and keeping the mystery alive.

Good job on your Christmas shopping. I think it makes the month so much nicer when that is taken care of early!

Have a GREAT rest of your week!

Cherie

Natalie and Quin said...

Well, I fall into the Alyssa camp. Meaning I never was allowed to believe, because my older sister told me right from the get go. But that way I didn't have to find out the hard way like our poor brother Kade.