Christmas happenings

I am listening to the happy sounds of my children playing with new toys, which include a Rescue Heroes fire truck (and about 7 men and 1 girl - thank God for Ebay!), a My Little Pony hot air balloon, a hot wheels track, and a Dora dress up adventure doll, among other things. As my son informed me last night, "Mom, I think these toys will cheer me up during room time!" (room time, if you are ignorant, is the hour of the day when I make my kids play in their rooms so I can have some "save my sanity" time).

As much as we try to make Christmas about Christ, it is inevitably more thrilling to children to play with toys than to ponder the mystery of God incarnate. I've had inklings lately of throwing in the towel on decorating, stockings, gifts and the like and going non-Christmas, in the sense of moving away from everything else that secular society has done to make this not about the birth of Christ. I did have a moment earlier this week when I was grateful for how we have shaped our holiday. I read someone else's blog about how her 4 year old came to her a week ago begging for a FurReal Pony, which it seems can be fed carrots and then will poop - how this is fun I don't know - which costs $299 and of course at this point is unavailable. Her dilemma came in not being able to explain to her 4 year old that she couldn't have the pony because how can Santa not be able to produce a gift? So she ran herself ragged hunting down this pony. My kids know about Santa, but we've never tried to make them believe in him. I know by this point, if we had made a big deal about Santa, Ethan would be asking me great questions like, "How does he get down every chimney? How can he fit? How can his reindeer fly that fast? How can he carry all those toys? How does he know what everyone wants?" and I would have to be producing lie upon lie to perpetuate something that has nothing to do with Christ whatsoever.

But let's not get started on that. As time passes, my unpopular opinions about Santa become stronger and more vocal. We'll leave it at that, while I inform you that I am now officially a homeschool geek mom because I am the proud and excited owner of a laminator. It's all I wanted for Christmas and I can now laminate to my heart's content. Whoever would have thought this day would come.