Pre-Christmas Festivities

The last few years, our neighbor would dress up and come over as Santa and surprise the kids.  THIS year, of course we have moved.  No more personal Santa.  I debated taking Rebekah to the mall...but you know?  It is crowded and I hate crowds.  We happen across this Santa attending a friends dance recital at the YMCA. 

We stood in line FOREVER to see this Santa.  Forever.  The kids were running around like loons, William and I lugging everything (until we had the genius idea to set our coats down someplace).  Rebekah talked the entire time about how she was going to tell Santa that she wanted a "Barbie with a whale".  (This translates into a Barbie she saw in a store that came with dolphins.)

So after all that waiting...we get up there and...

She won't hardly talk to him...

 

Peter wouldn't come within 2 ft of him...EXCEPT to get an offered candy cane.

 

This poor Santa...he was red faced, they had fans blowing...people kept asking him if he needed a break.  He DID need a break, but he was so terrified of disappointing children!  I hoped he would take a break...after our visit.  :-P

We also made some cookies.  These were just sugar cookies...the kids have a lot of fun with them.  When they get older, we'll add frosting or whatever...but for now I stick to simple sprinkles.  (You can see why below.)  These are WELL sprinkled cookies.  The kids are definitely experts at it. 

 

One funny little story...we left these cookies within Solomon reach accidentally.  He ate them...every last one.  They were talking about Santa in school...about what you might leave Santa.  Rebekah reported to her teachers that Solomon ate the cookies for Santa, so now he will have nothing.  LOL  This was the middle of Dec...no way they would have lasted that long anyway.  But it became a class joke!

I walked in to this later...and thought it was hilarious.

The dog was just the final touch...

I'm glad we have a big bed!

Christmas Eve we made candy.  We made coconut balls, chocolate covered pretzels, Oreo cookie truffles, happy candy, pecan clusters...I think that was it.  While the kids were helping (they helped in and out all day), and we were stirring the mix for the coconut balls, Peter decided to really stir it...

I reminded William messes will be messes, but let's have fun.  :-P

 

And that is all we really did as far as goodies go.  Oh - we did make brownies for the Christmas caroling and Rebekah helped me with a bunch of pies I had made as well.  She LOVED making pies and learned a very important lesson...no one likes egg shells in their pie.  :-)  Which she repeated to nearly everyone she ran across.