Christmas 2010

Another holiday has come and gone, and with it, came all the magic and fun and excitement that should be for a six and four year old.

Festive events included: Making a gingerbread house with Lucy at her school party, going to the Lakeside school concert, Tommy having TWO preschool holiday parties, an annual trip to Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas Trees, Christmas Eve mass, lots of laziness and relaxing time with family and friends and, of course...the arrival of SANTA!

We threw reindeer food in the driveway, we read Polar Express, the kids made special cookies with Meema and Boppa, we tracked Santa on TV, we received special emails personalized to the kids. We ate hot appetizers and drank wine and laughed with Meem, Bop and EE. We. were. ready.

The bells rang outside at 8:15 p.m.. on Christmas Eve. Lucy and Tommy heard it and ran like the wind straight upstairs to brush their teeth, with sheer panic in their eyes. "We have to go to bed!! Tell everyone to leave so Santa comes!!!" A-dorable.

But the best item of all? A card, left just for Santa from Lucy. She asked him for something very special (a surprise, and not a gift at all!) = one of his bells. The next morning, while opening stockings, she looked over and saw that THE BELL was actually sitting there. An old, metal, REAL bell! Her eyes welled up with tears and she told me what she had done. She was shocked and 100%, with all her heart, believed that Santa left that bell just for her. It was the best moment of Christmas and a priceless one that we will remember forever. Now, that magic bell is hanging on our Christmas Tree and will be placed somewhere special every year so that we always remember the magic of the Christmas season.

It was just The Best.