Tinsel
Tinsel is our beloved Elf on the Shelf. He has been assigned to our family by Santa himself and his job is to monitor the boys to help determine whether they belong on the Naughty or Nice List. Tinsel arrives just after Thanksgiving and leaves on Christmas Eve when he hears Santa's sleigh bell. Each night, after the boys have gone to sleep, he flies back to the North Pole to update Santa on what went on during the day. He returns before the boys awake and finds a different spot in which to sit. Every morning, the first thing the boys do is search the house looking for Tinsel's new location. It's become a game and we're having to find much more creative hiding spots for him. Ryan especially likes it when Tinsel hangs precariously from the chandeliers! If it were up to us, he'd camp out permanently in the family room or kitchen since those tend to be our trouble spots (e.g., sharing squabbles and dinnertime eating arguments). Tinsel is an indispensable behavior-modification tool and he's welcome to stay with us year-round!
Baking Cookies
The bigger the mess, the more fun that was had, right?! After each batch of cookies, the kitchen had to be cleaned and scrubbed from top to bottom, including counters and cabinets wiped down, floor swept and mopped, and every baking spoon, mixing bowl, and cookie sheet washed and dried. Together, the boys and I made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter reindeer cookies, reindeer kisses (our name for the Hershey's Kiss pretzels), and sugar cookies. The boys were extremely helpful, especially when it came to sampling the ingredients and the finished product. For every piece of chocolate used, at least 2 others went in their mouths!
Watching Christmas Specials
Ryan was allowed to stay up past his bedtime on those nights when Christmas cartoons or movies were shown. We stuck the ABC Family program guide on the refrigerator and each morning, Ryan would ask, "what Christmas show is on tonight?" Our favorite cartoon is Prep and Landing, a Christmas special created by Disney that features two elves on Santa's advance team that prep each house and establish a landing zone on the roof for Santa's arrival.
Santa Mail and Tracker
Santa emails each boy a personalized video message (Gavin: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/OUoaMQmq8qJMW3mhVCVs7g and Ryan: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/-L04qLHa9xWoyRO-cGrKQw) reviewing their file, assuring them they are on the Nice List, reminding them to continue to be good throughout the holiday season and the coming year, and confirming their wish lists. It is priceless to watch the expressions on their faces as they watch their messages from Santa! Every year, the boys receive their emails on the morning of Christmas Eve, to help build excitement for Santa's much anticipated arrival! The NORAD Santa Tracker and Google Earth also track Santa's flight on Christmas Eve. It was amazing to watch him deliver presents to children around the world at mind-numbing speed!
Miscellaneous Holiday Fun
From Rudolph and Frosty hats to reindeer ears and special glasses that make Christmas lights appear as twinkly snowflakes, the boys really get into the holiday spirit. We also tried (unsuccessfully) to do an advent calendar counting down the days until Christmas, but a certain someone kept taking all of the magnets off and carrying them off to who knows where! We also played games like Christmas bingo, dominoes, and pin the star on the tree.
Drive-Through Light Display
The day before Christmas Eve, we took the boys to the Symphony of Lights in Columbia. Ryan was extremely animated as he excitedly pointed out every light display we drove past. Gavin enjoyed the lights, but was equally as thrilled to be out of his car seat and helping Daddy drive through the exhibit.
Christmas Eve
Although admittedly, most of our Christmas traditions are more commercial in nature, we do try to incorporate spiritual activities into our holiday celebrations as well. This year, the boys received the Little People Nativity Scene. They spent a lot of time reenacting the story of Jesus' birth and the arrival of the Wise Men (they couldn't role play the Shepards since they weren't a part of the set we bought - guess we'll have to expand our set to include them next year!). And, we attend a Christmas Eve service at church every year. We've been "church shopping" for awhile now, trying to find the one that best suits our family. We're really excited about the church we went to this year. In fact, we're going to attend non-holiday services throughout January to see if it's the right fit for us.
Every year, Mike cooks chili for Christmas Eve dinner. Then, following the church service, we ride around different neighborhoods admiring Christmas decorations and lights. When we return home, we change into pajamas, pour a glass of milk and make a plate of cookies for Santa and the reindeer, read The Night Before Christmas, and bid Tinsel farewell. By the time all that's done, Ryan is so exhausted that he doesn't put up much resistance to bedtime (Gavin usually falls fast asleep on the car ride home from church). Then, while the boys dream of toys and sweet treats, tired, bleary-eyed Mommy and Daddy tackle a room full of gifts to be wrapped and toys to be assembled!
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