Claire’s Christmas Present

This year I had planned out very specific gifts for the kids. First, Santa was bringing the piano that they had to share. The piano was actually an expensive gift (in my mind, anyway) and I felt like I needed to scale back the spending when it came to the gifts from Steve and I. I decided on a book, a game for Family Game Night, and a toy. The games I got via a convenient $10 off coupon on my cereal boxes, the books I bought on discount (although the book Santa left wasn’t so cheap, Santa apparently doesn’t do deals I guess) and then I was left with the toy.
Initially I had planned to make both toys, or rather, I’d make Claire’s and Steve would make Callum’s. Months ago we picked up the beginnings of a wooden truck at the SOS and I found the plans to finish it, unfortunately Steve decided that it would take too long to get it done for Christmas. Thankfully the Scouts saved the day as they had a wood toy sale and were selling well crafted wood toys for CHEAP. Win-win. I supported a local cause, got my awesome hand-made wooden truck and it didn’t cost me $80 (the price I’ve regularly seen these trucks sell for, I paid $35 in case you’re curious).

Of course, said truck spent most of Christmas morning pulling a plastic bus… which, well, you know.
Claire’s gift came together exceptionally cheaply because I put it all together with felt I had on had – a felted pizza and cake! All I bought was the pizza box, for a $1 at our local pizza place, the ric rac on the cake and the cake pan at the thrift store. Me so smart, yes?


There are many, many, many tutorials online showing you how to make every imaginable felted food, and I loosely based the cake and the pizza on several tutorials and then, you know, just did my own thing. I even made a personalized sticker to cover the pizza place logo with one that says “Claire’s Pizzeria”, since she is her own pizza chef, and doesn’t work for Poppa’s after all.

The kids are having a blast making dinner and dessert, especially since they also got a set of wooden cupcakes you can decorate with markers from Auntie Michelle (markers, that thankfully, wash out of everything they’ve touched so far!). Even though that little microwave stand turned kitchen is the most used item in the house, hands down, I do think I will have to put an end to buying things for it. It’s stocked. Very well stocked.

Christmas Recap

My Christmas, in a word, was blissful. Besides the guilt of not sending out the packages or my Christmas cards on-time (eh, I haven?t sent them YET to be honest), I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable holiday.
Christmas Eve Callum finished up his gifts (post to come), and then Mom, Fearthainn, Steve, the kids and I went skating. After Mom and Steve took the kids around the rink a few times, we picked up my Grandma and all of us went back to our place for home-made clam chowder, biscuits and salad. There were a few hiccups along the way but Fearthainn and I are Domestic Goddesses and it all came together. I had planned on fresh baked bread but instead of making the bread the old fashioned way I relied on my bread maker, and well, the result was a bullet of yuck. It didn’t rise and it tasted horrific. Thankfully, I am related to the World’s Best Biscuit Maker (Fearthainn) who whipped up a double batch of amazing biscuits. Is there nothing more awesome than biscuits fresh from the oven with honey? I think not.
Then after I finished putting together the salad I realized that I didn’t have an ounce of salad dressing in the house as salad dressing is now one of those items I no longer buy. We managed to make up a batch of Ranch dressing with what I had on hand that was pretty tasty so possible catastrophe was averted!
Yes, no salad dressing is a catastrophe. That is how hard my life is.

Our evening was low key; the kids got to open a gift, put on their Grandma-made pyjamas, read ?Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then off to bed to eagerly await Santa. The adults had a tonne of fun putting together the toddler piano and giving it a whirl.

Christmas morning had me up early to get the cinnamon buns on the go, and truth be told, it was quite enjoyable. Everyone slept late, so by the time they were moving I had made fruit salad, had the cinnamon buns ready for their last rising, and enjoyed a cup of coffee and eggnog. It was so fun to watch the kids see what Santa left for them.


Fearthainn and Mom came over for 9, we opened our gifts and then feasted on pancakes, home-made blackberry syrup, cinnamon buns, fruit salad and eggnog lattes thanks to Mom bringing her latte-making machine with her. Pretty damn awesome.
The rest of the afternoon we did next to nothing. We didn?t even tidy up. One enormous advantage to not using paper wrapping anymore is that the mess is a lot easier to deal with as you just fold the bag up. I was so proud of my family because there were only two boxes that were wrapped with wrapping paper instead of either a reusable bag (or one my Mom created from the endless Christmas flyers) or box. Fearthainn and I were talking about how we still think it feels weird to not rip the wrapping paper off your gift, but my Mom pointed out that Callum thinks presents just come in bags. It?s his norm, even if it isn?t ours yet. He?s spent the days since Christmas wrapping everything in site in a tea towel and placing it under the tree in order to re-create Christmas.

Dinner found us dressed up in our Christmas finest and heading to my Grandma?s house, where we feasted, yet again. The kids were wild by 8, though, so we had to call it a night.

Although the season has been packed (I even PUT AWAY Christmas before sending out the packages and cards, I suck), I?m probably going to be blogging about it all week. A week?s worth of Christmas Craft Blog Posts. I?m sure you?re giddy.

Christmas Crafting

This year I inched a little more towards my goal of simplifying and creating a more hand-made holiday. You know, less commercialization and mad Christmas rushing and more doing things as a family. I had a modest list of things I had planned to make that almost instantly got shifted around, and although I feel like I am not at all prepared for Christmas, when I take a look at that list, the gap between finished, not-quite finished, and utterly gave up on isn?t that big. Most of the list is either finished or just about there. The packages won’t be sent out before Christmas, but it’s the thought, right? yeah.
On that list is this little restaurant play mat for my nephew. I intend to make two more of these for both Ben and Callum in the coming weeks. I?m very pleased with them.

You may just recognize that material, since it is frequently featured in my recrafted items. I tell you, an old canvas curtain goes a long way, baby.
It?s a simple item, but judging from Callum?s excitement to ?test? it, I think it?s a pretty great idea. It was inspired by a felt play mat I saw online last year, an idea that Mom and I used to create a little fish pond for my own kids, which turned into an animal staging ground, and then a travel mat over our summer holidays.

Mom figured out how to get that play mat to fold into a bag, and then did all the sewing too. But I supervised, so you know, I still get to take some credit.
Last summer Steve and I were sitting in a restaurant with my kids, Michelle, and my god-daughter Julia. The kids were being kids and we were trying to keep them entertained and quiet so that we could enjoy our drinks and well, basically ignore them honestly. Michelle turned to me, half-joking and half-serious and said ?don?t you have some sort of play tote in your car for your kids at a restaurant??.
What a great idea! We spent the meal discussing several ideas that might work, determined it needs to be the size of a place mat, and then I spent a year toying with the idea in my head. This match car play mat is what emerged from my own crafting station; my Mom has made different restaurant play mats for my kids.

The mat folds in half and closes with 3 little snaps. The match car gets tucked into the front pocket, which closes up with Velcro so they don?t fall out and get lost in the dark depths of the car. Then it has little handles for carrying into the restaurant or the doctor waiting area. The scene is one that I loosely just copied from one of those car rugs you can buy for kids, painted with a mix of fabric and acrylic paint. I live in a small town, the fabric paint is both expensive and I didn?t have a wide selection of colors to choose from, so half-way through painting it I got pissed off and pulled out the acrylics. Here?s hoping that decision doesn?t come back to haunt me, or rather, haunt my nephew?s Mom. Heh.

I?m thinking I?ll also make something similar but the scene will be a forest with a pond and a pocket for small Schleich animals on the front.

Santa

So. This Santa thing? I’d just like to take a moment and give my Mom some serious kudos because I was a believer. I believed in Santa with my whole heart, I had no doubts. I heard bells on Christmas Eve and reindeer on the roof yet my Mom assures me that no one got up on the roof, and no, they didn’t stand outside my window and ring bells, either. That was just wishful thinking on my part, but it was magical. Everything about Santa Claus was magical to me.
In fact, I still believed when my younger sister figured out the whole sham. They told her not to tell me. Of course she told me and yes, I was crushed. However, leprechauns were still fair game and I believed in them for several more years because WE CAUGHT ONE in Kindergarten. heh.
The tooth fairy also used to write me letters and draw pictures of her castle in the sky. My Mom was good. Real good.
I really want to create that magic for my own kids. I know a lot of people can?t tolerate that we lie to our children, or understandably, their connection to Christmas if they have one at all is a spiritual one and not some fat man handing out presents to greedy little children. My own connection is the magic, and it was more than just getting free presents, but the time spent with family, the music, even the once-a-year church going. Yes, we were those church-goers. If I could talk Steve into going to the Christmas Eve service at my grandma?s church, I might still do it. I love all the love and giving.

Unfortunately the problem with me is that I talk, a lot, and um, I?m not exactly a discreet person. I?ll basically tell you anything you want to know. The problem with having me as a mother, and Callum as the son is that he is listening to everything we say, plus he’s clever. This is tricky.
The other problem is that I?m trying really hard to curb the consumerism in our home. I?m trying to reduce our trash, I?m trying to pay attention to what I?m buying, and I didn?t want Christmas to become overwhelmed with useless ?stuff?. When you add all this to my disdain for anything plastic and the weird thing I have with children?s toys, well, it makes finding the right gift difficult.
What is even more difficult is that Santa decided several months ago that he was leaving my kids a toddler piano. Sadly, Callum didn?t ask for a piano. No, he asks for the same thing every_single_time and it is most certainly NOT a piano. He wants this ? a plastic Playmobil camper and markers. That camper makes me want to shot myself in the head. I hate that camper. I hate that it?s mass-produced. I hate that it?s plastic. I hate that it has small pieces that Claire is going to eat and that will inevitably get lost, or even worse, be left lying around and I?ll step on them.
On a positive note, Santa picked up the markers. On sale even.
First of all, what 3-year old consistently asks for the same damn thing? Is that normal? Does anyone know? I swear to God my list was 5 pages long and I never asked for the same thing twice. This, I suppose, is the difference between Callum and I, he being thoughtful and reflective and me leaning more towards air headedness.
Second of all, why? Why the fascination with this camper? Santa hates me?
The other day we had a Children?s Christmas Party at Steve?s office and Santa showed up. Callum was enthralled and was so excited to get a present. He opened his gift from Santa, a set of 4 puzzles, and you could see those gears turning in his little head. He didn?t ask for puzzles. He asked for a marker and a campsite. He promptly turned around and stood in front of Santa, holding out the gift as if to say ?dude, you?ve made a mistake, I didn?t ask for this?.
Eventually he accepted that Santa must have known that he does, in fact, enjoy puzzles. You know, after I told him Santa must have known that he liked puzzles and it was time to suck it up.
Still, there is a magic in watching a 3-year old imagine the wonders of Santa, and I’m getting a real kick out of listening to his questions and ideas. This morning he told me that Papa and him were going to go out to the shop to get some wood, nails and a hammer in order to make our chimney bigger so that Santa would fit. I told him Santa had diamond dust and could magically enlarge the chimney, AND we had a magical key we could leave at the front door. A modern day Santa has options you know, but Callum was undeterred. A bigger chimney was a must so Santa could get down it with that camper he?ll be dropping off.
He also wanted to know if Santa was like a star in the sky, and we’ve spent a considerable amount of time on imaginary trains driving to the North Pole to feed the reindeer apples and carrots. Add to that the constant asking if it’s Christmas yet, and what is Santa doing right now. How about now? Do you think Santa is making my present now?
The magic is in air?
at least it will be right up until Christmas morning comes along and that camper isn?t sitting under the tree.
I?m not all evil, great-Grandma picked up the camper. She?ll be the hero, besides, Callum has already decided that Santa let Grandma know he wanted that camper so his bases are covered.

Advent

Our advent activities are wrapping up as I made sure that the activites over the next few days are really low key.

Overall I’m really happy that I decided to do this and I think I will keep it up in the years to come. Maybe. If I can handle three kids. I’m not sure I’ll include Steve next year because trying to incorporate family activities that could only pan out if he co-operated, and then not have him co-operate for a variety of reasons/excuses just pissed me off. Even if the reason was a valid one.
Not that Steve and I have control issues. ~ahem~
I think next year I’ll plan things that can work out with me as the only adult and if he decides to come along – great! If he doesn’t, well, I’m not disappointed. That way it’s more win-win. We did do almost every activity that I had planned, including a couple of great family activities that I hope to keep up beyond advent. On our stargazing night Steve built a huge bonfire and the kids had the best time with their flashlights and splashing around in the puddles in the dark. They even looked at the stars which were miraculously visible! I love it when it all just plays our so nicely like that.
Last Sunday we took them skating during the free family skate hour at the community rink and Claire would climb onto a pylon, hold on with all her might and we would just fly around the rink. Cutest damn thing you’ve ever seen people, I assure you. She LOVED it. She was so excited to put on her skates and helmet, you just wanted eat her up.

Next week things are slowing down on the advent front, but it’s going to be a couple of late nights for me to get the last of my Christmas presents made and shipped on the off chance they’ll make it to Calgary before Christmas. And maybe I’ll write my Christmas cards.