Up on the rooftop...

Tonight the boys just could not settle in to sleep...they were anticipating a visit from Santa tonight. Or maybe it was the effects of 4 sugar cookies smothered in red-food coloring & sprinkles that was the issue. Could have been the "footsteps on the roof" or the faint jingle bells that Braden kept hearing. (A friend shared that her dad threw a basketball on the roof to simulate Santa's arrival...guess what we used at our house tonight?) Whatever the cause for the hype, we WILL be opening our presents as a family in the a.m.

"I'm not going to sleep, b/c I want to wait up for Santa!" - Braden (He couldn't hold up and is sawing logs now...I should be too!)

Brooks doesn't remember much about the whole process from last year. But he did have fun throwing "reindeer food" on the patio before bed. That was quite comical. Braden came up with all sorts of ideas of what might happen if the reindeer are too busy snacking when Santa is ready to move on. He really looked scared, as though we might cause a delay in the travel plans.

Santa was not a part of Christmas in our homes, as we grew up. And we were okay with that...although we grew to think he was pure evil and it was our mission to spoil many kids' ideas of something fun. We've grown to understand that anything can become "evil" at the holidays, when it steals our focus. We, the ones that buy & give the presents, can lose our focus and make it more about ourselves than the celebration of Christ's birth. Our overindulgence and commercialism seems more evil than the jolly 'ol man in the red velvet suit...some with scraggly, cotton beards too! :-)

So Brent and I have decided that in our household, as long as it lasts, Santa surprises with stocking stuffers, while the presents come from Mom & Dad. Good thing we established that early, b/c Braden saw us wrapping the presents last year and called us out on it this year!

The focus of Christmas does remain on the miracle of Jesus' birth. We experience more excitement in setting up the Nativity scene than the stockings. Jesus is the reason for all that we do and celebrate this time of year. Braden decided to "send a message" and keep Jesus at the forefront of Santa's mind too...he left him a cross cut-out cookie in the CENTER of the cookie plate tonight. Thank goodness He helps us keep our focus!