Christmas Planning

Well, Charles continued to complain about the great toys that we put into the Christmas boxes, but he did go with Tony to deliver them to the drop-off site.  So, 50% win, I guess?  The vehemence of his complaints calmed quite a bit, so that’s good.

 

I’m thinking I will just table this whole “turn my kid into a good person whether he likes it or not” thing for awhile.  I’ll continue to lead by example and I’ll involve him as much as I can in actual charitable acts, like the community service projects my Rotary Club does, over the next few years.  We’ll get there.  When he’s old enough, I’ll have him choose a recurring charitable act, like helping with our local homeless shelter or walking dogs at the humane society.  We’ll get there.

 

In the meantime, we’ve turned our thoughts to Thanksgiving and the holiday season, which seems so compressed this year.  I mean, I know this is stating the obvious, but with Thanksgiving so late, it feels like there’s barely any time to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy the season!  Time to make a list so we can pack it all in.

 

1. Get family photo with actual smiling children for Christmas cards.  Maybe the one from our pumpkin patch trip?

 

 

Nope, not smiling.  Damn!  Maybe I’ll just go with something cute that makes them look like they actually love each other:

 

 

You might not be able to tell that they love each other on any average visit to our house because their favorite pastime is beating each other up, but this photo is evidence that they are pretty close.

 

2. Sample all the eggnogs on the market to find one I really like.  I have an idealized version of eggnog from when I was a teenager and my mom made a big punchbowl of eggnog – a mix of store-bought eggnog, whipped or whipping cream (I can’t remember which), rum, and Kahlua.  I didn’t say I had a lot of it, just that it was really good and were it not for the alcohol content, I would have consumed several glasses.  Because I am unlikely to make an entire punchbowl of eggnog concoction just to recapture my teenage ideal, I’ll be trying out several off-the-shelf brands soon.  The higher the fat content, the better.  I suppose I could add the whipped cream and alcohol by the glass.

 

3. Put up the tree and lights immediately following Thanksgiving.  Write it down, Tony.

 

4. Finish Christmas shopping and stock up on wrapping paper.  This should be a joy, but we’ll see – usually I have more ideas than I have money.

 

5.  Go do some fun holiday things.  We already have tickets for the Santa Train and I’d like to see the Lights of Christmas in Warm Beach on a non-rainy evening this year, too.  I’m hosting, once again, a massive cookie exchange, and I’d like to see a Christmas concert, maybe.

 

6.  Do a craft.  I’m not much of a crafty mom, but it would be a lot of fun to have some salt dough ornaments made by my children.  We’ll see if they’ll put up with it.

 

What are your plans this season?