A Visit To Santa

WARNING: If your children are reading this with you they may find this "disturbing" !!! :-)

At our house we don't "do" Santa. My kids get plenty under the tree and in their stockings, but they know that it comes from their parents and no one else. However, they do know the story of Saint Nicholas, why he was such a good man, and the reason he became such a legend throughout the world. We also still love to talk about Santa, pay him a visit, take pictures, etc. like everyone else. The only difference is my children know that it is just a fun, imaginary thing to do at Christmastime. When Zora was little we started the tradition of going to Utica Square for a picture. The couple that runs "Santa's House" is just adorable and they are absolutely as sweet as can be. I also like the fact that you don't feel like you've been robbed after you get your pictures done as they only charge $5!!! We had a scheduled trip with our playgroup this year, but poor little Miss Lily missed out because she managed to catch the stomach "bug" that Zora had last weekend :-(

Anyhow, we were the first ones there Friday morning - we even beat Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Here is Zora awaiting Santa's arrival.


Despite her knowing the truth about Santa, she thought it would be fun to make a list for him of things she would like to have for Christmas. She also wrote him a letter that thanked him for being so kind to all the children. Here is Mrs. Claus reading her letter aloud to Santa.
When we got in the car she munched down the cookie they gave her and then she said, "Mommy, why do people make such a big deal about Santa when Christmas is really about Jesus?" So sweet! She then decided to write a story about Christmas. (I did not help her write this... it was all on her own)

What Is Christmas?

It is a time of year when people from all over the world celebrate when Jesus Christ was born. And if some people think Santa Claus is the true meaning of Christmas then we know that is not true. But I hope missionaries go where people don't know about Christmas. Amen.


After our Santa visit we had a party with our playgroup friends. Here's a fun treat that you can make with your kiddos that were a big hit... marshmallow snowmen.If you would like to make these you need the following for each snowman:

2 big marshmallows (body)
2 raisins (eyes)
1 candy corn (nose)
2 gumdrops (hat) - one needs to be mashed flat for the brim
thin strip of fruit rollup (scarf)
white icing ("glue")
toothpicks (through the middle to hold everything together!)

As I mentioned in the last post we were supposed to have 5 Christmas parties this weekend. However, because Lily has been sick, we've had to miss a few. I was able to take Zora to one while Joel stayed with Lily, and then I attended one solo last night. Tonight I'm staying home with the girls so Joel can go solo. It's not really what we had in mind, but our little "bug" rearranged our plans.

That's all for now! Have a happy, healthy weekend!!!