REID all about it:: Christmas Morning

December 25, 2013

This is the year Josh and I have decided to be one of those families. We're one of those families that only sort of do Santa Clause. I don't have a problem with my kids pretending someone put presents in our house while we're sleeping [creepy], but I do have a problem with lying to my kids. My high school youth pastor said the very same thing years ago when he and his wife first began having their kids. I thought about it then and I've thought about it more every year since.

Josh and I decided that movies, TV shows, and songs about Santa are all harmless. We can even pretend the jolly man is the one leaving our Santa presents Christmas morning. What we're not going to do is talk him up everyday in December like he's real. We're going to remember the real reason for the season along with stories about the real St Nick and the good he did in his life. We're not going to strip away our kid's childhood because we don't go to the mall and sit in some stranger's lap or put an Elf on our shelf and tell them they better watch out. Our prayer is that they will always know truth.

Clearly we are not boycotting presents. Emma woke up fussy Christmas morning until we uttered that one magical word - presents. She immediately jumped out of bed. We barely had enough time to run in front of her to see her face as she approached her big display of gifts. "Oh my goodness!", she squealed. The first thing she grabbed was her Sophia Boom Box. I knew it! We found that thing at Target and she fell in love with it the first time she saw it. Josh and I almost couldn't find it when we went shopping and then we finally stumbled upon it again. Thank goodness! It's definitely one of her favorites!

Surprisingly, it was a little while before she ever saw the castle. "SO cute!", she said once her eyes finally locked on the tall doll home. Immediately she began pushing things out of her way to reach the castle. She stood amazed for a few seconds before she pulled Aurora out and began to play. It was about thirty minutes later when I brought notice to her stocking. She grabbed at things and eventually dumped everything out. The Princess CD held the most attention. "At Taget!", she said holding it in the air. OMG nothing gets by her!

Needless to say, Emma had another very memorable Christmas morning. She played until our entire living room floor was covered in princesses, pinks, and purples. We love spoiling our little girl!!!! Remembering the Little People castle we got her last year, Josh said, "If they keep getting bigger, I hate to see the castle next year!". If there is a bigger castle next year, we'll have to move! I already had to rearrange Em's entire room and closet to fit all her new things! AND I purged beforehand!

*I do not boast about what my kids were given. I like to keep note from year to year. The following lists are just for me! Feel free to skip and scroll straight to Christmas morning pics!*

Santa Presents:

Disney Princess Castle

Aurora Barbie

Mermaid Ariel Doll

Mermaid Ariel Little People Lagoon

Mermaid Ariel Little People Carriage

Sophia the First Puzzles

Sophia the First Boom Box

Sophia the First Doll

Emma Stocking:

Disney Princess CD

Sophia the First DVD