Here Comes Santa Claus

We have held season tickets to the family series offered by Utah Symphony for a few years now. Except for Malia, the kids have kind of outgrown that particular set of performances, but Malia still enjoys it. In particular, she looks forward to the Christmas symphony each year because she gets to visit with Santa. This year she even opted to come late to the girls only craft day we had planned with my mom, sisters, and nieces. It made for a busy day for her, but she had a great time!

Santa Goes to the Symphony

For the past several years, we have had season tickets to the symphony family series. It has been fun for the younger set, the ones not quite ready for the opera or the regular symphony. Although Matthew is at the point where he is losing interest in the stuff themed for little kids, Malia still enjoys it. There is always a Christmas presentation and today was the day. Malia is a lucky girl because she got to chat with Santa again today. For this event, Mrs. Claus got to tag along as well. She and Santa must be music lovers!

Second Party of the Year

Apparently, it has become a known fact that Daniel and Nathan are very musically inclined. Not only are they both participating in the Christmas sacrament meeting in multiple capacities, but they were asked to perform for the ward Christmas party as well. This year the party was a breakfast with a short program at the end during which Daniel and Nathan played a couple of numbers. They were happy to give their time, Daniel just had to rush out afterward to make it to a band event.

Malia was thrilled to be able to have a tete-a-tete with Santa during the party. She is fully aware that there is no possible way that he is giving her a horse for Christmas, but she had to toss in the request anyway. She had several other things on her wish list, things that are probably more likely to show up in her stocking. We’ll have to wait and see what Santa decides to bring!

After moving from Murray, the infrequency of ward parties out here has been a change. The Christmas party and the July block party are the only two parties the ward has each year. I kind of miss the camaraderie and sense of belonging the more frequent parties fostered, but I think my kids enjoy the parties and hopefully they will have fond memories of these ward events like I do of the frequent gatherings I attended growing up.

Breakfast with a Jolly Old Elf

Our preschool teacher must have an in with Santa because every year he takes time out of his busy schedule to have breakfast with the preschoolers on their last day of school before Christmas. Last year Malia wouldn’t sit in his lap. This year she was likewise inclined to decline the opportunity to sit on his lap, but Santa has learned a thing or two and opted to just grab her up so they could have a chat. Matthew was with us since he is off track and Santa made him an honorary elf for the day, letting Matthew hand out the gifts he had for each preschooler.

 Malia and her friend Raylie

Santa read the kids a story about how he got his job and they ate orange rolls and milk. This is one of the traditions I'm going to miss when Malia goes to kindergarten next year.

On the way home, Matthew decided his elf name is Fizbee and Malia decided her elf name is Malia Elf. Now if only I could get them to be as industrious as Santa's elves are...

Here Comes Santa Claus

Have I mentioned that we love our preschool? I’m sure I have. Let me tell you about yet another reason our preschool is so awesome. Every year the kids get to have breakfast with Santa. He comes to preschool, reads the kids a story (This year he told us about all the different jobs he has had. It was very enlightening.), lets them sit on his lap (if they so desire), gives them a candy cane and then hangs out with them while they eat orange rolls and drink milk. Malia was her normal chatty self, asking questions like whether or not Santa wears his suit all the time and does he have reindeer. However, in spite of her chattiness, she absolutely refused to sit on his lap. She wouldn’t even stand by him. But Santa is great with kids and snuck up on her while she was eating breakfast.

Of course, once she realized he was there she informed him that he was in her way.

Santa was great though and gave her a candy cane anyway. And once that was done she was willing to stand next to him and chat…until he took a step toward her and then she ran away. But by then I think it was just a game.

Malia never did tell Santa what she wants for Christmas. When I asked her after the fact, she told me she wants a present. When asked what kind of a present, she said, “Just a present!” Apparently she is easy to please.

Have I Mentioned Lately That I Love Our Preschool?

Today was Breakfast with Santa at preschool.  Santa takes time out of his busy schedule to spend a morning with the kids in Matthew’s preschool.  He reads them a story, brings them a small gift (a book), lets them sit on his knee, and hangs around for some classic 4-year-old conversation while they eat cinnamon rolls and drink milk.  Although he always gets shy when Santa comes, Matthew has been excited about this all month.  When I woke him up this morning, he got right out of bed and got ready for school.  As we left our house, we noticed that there were hoof prints in the snow on our driveway (for real).  When we mentioned it to Santa, he told us that Donner had gotten out.  Matthew may have declined to talk to Santa (“He already knows what I want!”), but when he told Kev all about the hoof prints and the reindeer he got super excited: raised eyebrows, wide twinkling eyes and the whole bit.  Although Matthew will always pose for a photo with Malia, he is still like a Hollywood mogul doing the jail walk for the paparazzi when he is alone.  So while the other moms get a picture of their little darlings sitting on Santa’s knee and grinning, I get this:

Once again, life would be boring if he didn’t have such a huge personality.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

This morning was our ward Christmas party.  In this ward it is traditional to have a breakfast so we headed over to the church for pancakes, eggs, sausage, and cinnamon rolls.  Matthew and I brought our own cinnamon rolls and juice since we are the dietarily restricted ones in the family. (At least mine is only temporary.  I cannot tell you how much I miss cheese...)  In addition to breakfast, they had a service project (cleaning nursery toys) and a family activity (making a family home evening kit).  It was different than the usual food and program party that we usually get and I really enjoyed it.

The highlight of the morning, of course, was a visit with Santa.  Nathan declined to sit on his lap, standing across the room and grinning at him instead.  Matthew would not sit on Santa's lap either, but after some convincing he agreed to at least whisper in Santa's ear what he wants for Christmas.

Matthew wants a dinosaur train with the stations just like on Dinosaur Train.  I'm pretty sure Santa may have something else in mind, but Matthew does have a birthday coming up so we'll just have to see how it all turns out.  Malia didn't cry when we introduced her to Santa, but the look on her face tells me she wasn't too sure about the whole thing.  I'm pretty sure all she wants for Christmas is a clean diaper, a full tummy and plenty of attention.

Holiday Life Lessons-Part IV

Apparently Santa lives at the church . . . under the floor.  At least that is what Matthew tells us.  I think one of his nursery teachers (one of those crazy, funny guys) told him that.

Santariffic

Today Matthew had a special visitor at preschool.  Santa dropped by the talk to the kids and read them a story.  Matthew gathered round with the other kids for the story and was actively engaged in listening and responding to Santa’s questions, but when it came time to sit on Santa’s lap, he refused.

When I asked him about it later, he told me that sitting on Santa’s lap would make him nervous but talking to Santa didn’t make him nervous.  When Kev asked him if he sat on Santa’s lap and got a negative answer, Matthew told him he was afraid.  But like he told me, chatting with Santa was not a problem and once Santa had Matthew engaged in a lively conversation, I was able to sneak in a photo.  It’s a good thing Santa knows Matthew so well and understands his stubborn streak.  He definitely took the time to help create a photo op for me!

Carb-buffet

Apparently our new ward does a Christmas breakfast instead of a dinner each year. So this morning we hauled everyone out of bed and trekked to the church for our morning nourishment. People brought breakfast baked goods in all varieties: coffee cakes, doughnuts, danishes, cinnamon rolls, caramel pull apart bread (yum!), and muffins in several varieties, including dairy-free-egg-free blueberry muffins (these were mine of course, brought so Matthew would have something to eat and to their soy-based credit, they were one of the first things to completely disappear). There were several fruit offerings and the ward provided hot chocolate.

There was a program of some sort: I hear there was a dance-off featuring leaders from all the different organizations, but we missed that portion while we were doing our tithing settlement and I find I'm not overly sorry about that. I have a really hard time watching people make fools of themselves. I get so embarrassed for them that I can hardly stand it. Anyway, after that portion we sang a few songs and welcomed Santa . . . who had a scheduling misunderstanding of some kind and ended up being much thinner and younger than usual (he couldn't stand up or his pseudo belly fat would have dropped down to his knees and his pants probably would have come off-not the kind of Santa that is usually welcomed at a family affair). Nathan got in line to talk to Santa right away, Daniel hung back for a bit (one of his friends said Brother R. was Santa and Daniel was checking in with me . . . I told him not to listen to everything his friends say, but the doubt is already there so he's more skeptical than in the past) and Matthew was just plain dubious about the whole thing. Apparently Nathan wants a remote control car (Santa has something else picked out for him that will hopefully be just as fun), Matthew wants toys (easy enough!), and Daniel's wish list is about five miles long (to be completely honest, I don't think Santa will be supplying a single thing on it since he was finished with his shopping about three weeks before the list came into existence, but Santa is pretty sure Daniel will like what will be coming).

(Notice Matthew's death grip on the marshmallows-one of the ladies on the activities committee lives across the street from us and knows about Matthew's stuff so when there were unopened bags of marshmallows left over, she offered it to him)

Overall, it was a pretty fun morning, the exception being the moment when one of the older ladies in the ward (all her children are grown) came and stood by me with Daniel in earshot and asked who was playing Santa this year. My response? "I think Santa is playing Santa this year." I thought she had gotten my enormous hint, at least she reacted like she had, but them she made another comment about someone else who would make a good Santa. Please, make my doubting Daniel even more skeptical. Go ahead. I love it. Needless to say, I politely made my exit, taking Daniel with me. We'll just have to wait and see how long Daniel can hang on to the magic.