T'is the season (now with video!)

We had our church Christmas party last weekend. It was a great success, even though I was unnecessarily worried on the organizer's behalf. Having run the show for the last few years, I know how difficult it can be to pull off, so I was happy to see things work out. The food was great, the desserts plentiful, and Santa came to town. What more could we ask?

J participated with the children's group in singing Jingle Bells...sort of. Here's a a video in which you can see his brand of participation. Halfway through, after some coaching by the husband (who is also a star of the show), you can hear him start singing, if you listen very closely, following the beat of his own drummer. Apparently, group singing is a skill he has not yet learned. Who knew?



J was also very excited to see Santa. I asked him what he wanted for Christmas while we were in line, so he could be ready to tell Santa, and he said "a special toy." Done and done! Whew! (In contrast, the older girls behind me were asking for pogo sticks, much to their mothers' chagrin!) He wasn't afraid at all but was all smiles about the visit with Santa.
J has been loving the whole Christmas season, especially the lights. Our town has some very committed decorators, including three houses down the road from us who have built a life sized creche and covered every inch of their houses, yards, and trees with lights. Every time we drive anywhere at night, we see more and more homes who are going all out, and J gets more and more excited, even if he sometimes misses the point: "Look, Mommy! There's Santa and his dog!" Umm, I think that was supposed to be a reindeer, but whatever! I think after all this buildup, Christmas day is going to be overwhelming. We've already decided to put off going to see the professional light show until after Christmas, just to help him cope a bit better. And he's still only gotten half the full anticipation experience, since we haven't put out a single wrapped present under the tree to save him from the temptation to unwrap them or E to eat them. As it is, seeing his very full stocking hanging up is almost more than he can bear!