Most years, Christmas decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving. Nat King Cole is roasting chestnuts on an open fire by the end of November. Christmas presents are all purchased by the first week of December.
But this isn’t most years.
This year we were in China for Thanksgiving and did not return home until December 9th. I was prepared for everything to be running a bit late this year. I figured we’d get home, spend the weekend getting the house decorated and get the shopping done soon after. We’d still have plenty of time to enjoy the season. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
I wasn’t prepared for what happened. At all. I mean how can you prepare for coming down with pneumonia. Or having your husband leave for a business trip while you are sick. Or having a kid who desperately wants the house to look like Christmas, when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep.
Yes, tis the season to be jolly for most, but tis the season to be ailing for me. I had it all, too. Chills, nausea, body aches, burning lungs, splitting headache, fatigue. And it seemed to last f.o.r.e.v.e.r.
Everyday Molly would ask if we could put up decorations. And everyday I had to tell her, “Not today, honey.” I had the best intentions, but I didn’t even have the energy to hang a Christmas stocking. I just lay there, in my Grinch costume, pathetically watching the days click off the calendar, wondering if we were going to have a Christmas this year.
Slowly, I did begin to recover and by Thursday, December 16th (only 9 days before Christmas!) the tree finally went up. By Friday, most of the other decorations were in place and the house was clean. By Saturday, the husband was home and I even had some Christmas shopping done.
I still don’t feel 100%, but at least Christmas will come to our house this year.Hallelujah!
On Friday, Molly had her Christmas Program at school. Praise the Lord that she goes to a Christian school and we can still call it a Christmas Program, but I digress.
Molly was excited to don her Christmas finest, once again, and head to school. She was even more excited to preform in front of a crowd. She looked adorable, as did the rest of the class. Unlike last year, the kids sang out loudly and had animation. What a difference one year of growth and maturity makes!
Here are the kids singling Jingle Bells. They were supposed to sing it through twice, but the kids kept going and going. Probably sang it four times before the teachers could get them to stop. So cute!
Go tell it on the…
Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!
Class photo at the end of the performance.
That’s my Molly…she eats a bite out of the cookie and then goes straight for the cheese. The girl is obsessed with cheese, I tell ya.
Molly and Makenna in coordinating dresses.
Some of the girls from Molly’s class.
Molly and Mrs. Sivak.
Molly and Mrs. Tullis.
Molly and Mrs. Riley.
After school, I asked Molly if she wanted to go sit on Santa’s lap. She gave me a resounding, “Yes!” and went on to tell me that she was going to jump on Santa’s lap and give him a big hug.
Right.
For the past three years we have read about Santa, talked about Santa, practiced our Santa visit. And for the past three years she gets to the moment where she is supposed to sit on the jolly man’s lap and….refuses.
So this year, I had no hopes that it would happen. I just chuckled to myself when Molly told me that this was the year that she was going to do it.
Well, darn it the girl didn’t prove me wrong! Take a look!
Alrightly then. A snuggy? Really? Hadn’t heard that before. I guess I have a little more shopping to do!
Yesterday, Molly had Chinese class. Another opportunity to dress up. Because last year’s Gymboree Christmas outfit was so insanely expensive stinking cute, she wore it again this year.
And here’s a little holiday gymnastics to close the blog today.
No if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find a Jr. Snuggy…you know, the blanket with sleeves!
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