Pre-Christmas

It's a week into the new year, so I better get busy and finishing writing about the end of 2011.

*I recall some years when my kids saw Santa no less than five times.  This year they only caught a brief glimpse of the Jolly Fat Man at our Ward Christmas Party. We did manage to get the obligatory Santa-lap-photos of Aubree and Thane (who, surprisingly, didn't cry), but Bryce refused to get closer than two feet.  I'm not bothered.  I decided it's just not worth the trauma to make my kids sit on a stranger's lap for a photo op.

As we stood in the short line to meet with Santa, I remembered that Santa would ask the kids, "what do you want for Christmas?"  I knew what Aubree would answer (an American Girl doll), but it occurred to me that Bryce was totally unprepared for the question.  I bent down to explain to him what he could expect, but the line moved quickly and too soon it was our turn.  Sure enough, after speaking to Aubree, Santa turned and asked the obvious question to Bryce, "what do you want for Christmas?"  Bryce was stymied.  First, he looked at me confused, then repeated Aubree's answer, "a doll?"  Finally, he stated, "I'll be happy with whatever I get."  

*Another favorite Christmas tradition is decorating gingerbread graham cracker houses.  Truth is, I don't like gingerbread and am too lazy to bake it, so we've always just used graham crackers with moderate to minimal success.  This year, thanks to Pinterest (amazing), we learned the Secret to using graham crackers to make fabulous, sturdy (lazy-mom approved) houses.  Want to know the secret (this could seriously change your life)?  

Forget frosting or royal icing, the trick is white chocolate.  Oh yes! Melt up a little white chocolate, pipe it onto your crackers (I used a plastic baggie with a small hole cut in one corner), stick the crackers together (I even found a graham cracker house pattern!), wait a couple minutes, and (Tada!!) perfectly solid structures.  Genius.  

We waited until Grandma and Grandpa Winters came to town to make our houses so we'd have a better adult to kid ratio.  They made houses with us last year as well and were thrilled with the improvements this year.  

Aubree and Bryce probably didn't notice too much of a difference, because they were too interested in eating the candy carefully decorating their structures.  Is there a better way to use excess Halloween candy?

Thane was asleep again  (poor kid) during our decorating, but don't feel too bad, because he certainly didn't get left out of the demolishing eating of said houses.

* We started another new tradition this year - the Minivan Express.  I got the idea from my spectacular friend, Holly, and have been wanting to try it for years.  One night we put the kids in their pajamas and got ready for bed as usual. 

However, once they got to their beds, they each found a ticket good for passage on the Minivan Express.  We loaded into the van and each kid (and the grandparents) got a cup of hot chocolate (sippy cups for the kids, we're not totally insane), and we drove around nearby neighborhoods admiring Christmas lights.  The kids were thrilled.  Definitely a keeper.

* I already wrote about our plans for Christmas Eve, and I'm glad to report that the scavenger hunt went well.  We invited the Missionaries over for a big dinner and to share in the festivities, and tried hard to spoil them in honor of my brother, Ian, who's serving a mission in Africa (hoping that someone was likewise spoiling him).