Christmas Cheer

I'm a bit chained to the house right now and feeling antys pantsy. It's not that I have nothing to do, I have planty of Christmassing left I need to get done, the problem is that in my current attractive, if not altogether slender state I own very few pairs of trousers that both fit me and are acceptable to be seen in public. And they're both in the wash right now. Soaking wet. Technically I could wear a skirt, I have a couple of those that fit too, but baby it's COLD outside. So I'm not dressed up with everywhere to go.

But I'm so excited. This year wil be Pete and my third Christmas together and we finally started the Christmas tradition that I have always wanted to be staple in my holiday-ing. We called the United Way of Utah and signed up to sponser a family for sub for Santa. It's a small family, a single father with one seven year old son. But I couldn't be more excited. We drop off Christmas for this kid tonight. (They told us to focus on the child, the parents rarely want any fuss made over them).

So this is what we got:



Two pair of trousers, four shirts and some toys. The email we received from the United Way said that this kid loves army stuff and wants a tank more than anything for Christmas. So, like the dedicated Santa he is, Pete braved the crazed masses and skoured the beyond-chaotic toy aisles at WalMart for nearly a half an hour to find the perfect collection of J.I.Joe toys for our little boy. I don't think he had to actually fight anyone for them, just search in every unlikely place to find them.

I took the safe road and picked out clothes (the boys clothes dept is much less of a war zone than toys). I got him some army camo clothes, but because I wanted the kid to look nice and not like a hood rat all the time, I got him some stylish clothes too.

We're not quite done, I still need to pick up a book (the United Way requests that you give each child you sponsor a book in their efforts to promote literacy--and I like the idea anyway. Books last longer and make better soul mates than action figures).

This is the book I'm planning to pick up--when my clothes dry.




Basically because it's brilliant. And I've never met a kid who didn't immediately fall in love with the inspired silliness of Shel Silverstein. Sheer poetry.

And we'll get him some candy of course. What is Christmas without a little sugar rush?

I love being Santa. And this is a valuable tradition that babygirl will love someday too. Hopefully family traditions like this can help save her from becoming a greedy material girl who thinks she should get a new Macbook, cell phone and ipod every year after she reaches the age of six.