So Christmas holidays have come and gone. One of the coolest suggestions I read on facebook this year was surrounding an advent calendar. For those who don’t know, I’m more Pagan in my beliefs then I am a good Christian. However, I still enjoy the idea of doing something every day leading up to when the man in the big red suit slides down our chimney and delivers presents. I spent some time scavenging the thrift stores to find some wonderful books for the kids. I ended up with something like 35 new titles. I wrapped them individually and a little more then two weeks before the big day, they got to open one each night as part of the bedtime routine.

On the second morning, Leia brings me one of the wrapped presents and says, “Auntie I open, I have book.”

“Is that what you think they are? Books?” I asked more curious as to her response then anything else.

“Yes, I have it. I have book.”

Needless to say, I opened myself up to more then two weeks of this. But in the end, they loved getting a new book every day. Books are one of their favorite things in the whole world. They become little broken records, wanting to read the same books over and over until they’ve managed to memorize it. Then they want nothing more but to read the book back to us. I should really use the video camera function on my phone more. It’s the cutest thing in the world. To watch them feel so accomplished, reading all on their own.

I wish their mother realized this about them. Frequently they have visitations at the library. This is of course wonderful for Luke and Leia, as they LOVE books so much, except that their mother doesn’t like to read them the same book more then once. She gets angry with them for wanting to repeat the same story over  and over. Everyone looses. It breaks my heart, the whole thing.

I digress.

So Christmas morning comes. Okay let me stop again. So my family is all adults at this point with Luke and Leia being the only children. We’ve had Christmas on the 24th, the 26th, even the 28th once. It’s just whatever day that we can all be together give or take a week. So this year we had a big Christmas Eve celebration where great grand parents, aunts uncles, and Luke and Leia’s other grandma all came. Their mother was even invited but she declined the opportunity to see her children. So the kids have had tons of presents at this point and Santa hasn’t even come yet.

On Christmas morning, we tell Luke “Santa came! Come see what he left for you.”

Luke runs out of his room does a quick look in the kitchen and the living room before heading out the front door. I was standing right there and I asked him, “What are you looking for Luke? Your gifts are right here.”

“No! Where’s Santa?” He asks tears welling in his eyes.

“What do you mean? Santa came when you were sleeping. He was in a hurry and couldn’t stay. He had to visit all the children of the world last night.”

Now really crying. “But Santa didn’t say hi. I want to see Santa.” Luke runs to his room crying, and if I’m honest then I’ll tell you I was suppressing laughter at this beautiful moment.

Leia was sitting in the living room half way through her stocking before we could convince Luke to come out of his room and see what Santa brought for him. He wanted NOTHING to do with any of it at first, too upset that Santa didn’t swing into his room to say hi before leaving.

Grandma and Grandpa bought both Luke and Leia Cabbage Patch Dolls, they were dressed as animals, Luke a Fox and Leia and Owl.

Grandma says, “Ohh Leia, how cute! Look she’s wearing Owl pajamas.”

Leia, looks from grandma to the doll and attempts to pull the sown on outfit off, “How she go potty?”

Too freaking cute.