The Santa Set-Up

Thank goodness for husbands.

I don't know if I've ever uttered those words out loud before, but I'm sure I should have. More specifically, thank goodness for my husband. Without his help and attention to detail, I'm quite sure our Christmas morning celebration tomorrow would be rather dismal indeed.

You see, I have caught the dreaded stomach plague that has been making the rounds in Fort Collins over the past several weeks. The past 24 hours have been truly miserable. When not writhing on the sofa in agony, I have been making repeated sojourns to the Throne of Horror. Yes, you know what I mean. I am not feeling very Christmasy--not at all.

But my husband has saved the day. Wrapping presents. Faking Santa's handwriting. Putting out Santa's snack and some Cheerios for Rudolph (a Grandma Lou tradition). Making sure all of the little things are done that will make Taylor's Christmas of 2008 a thing to remember with happiness.

First, the message board. Ever since Taylor was old enough to care about Santa and Rudolph, we've been having her write a message to him on her message board. We continued the tradition this year.

If you've ever seen John's handwriting, you know the effort
involved in this very legible message from Santa... :)

I love that Taylor still writes 'Mary Christmas' for her yearly shout out to Santa Claus, rather than correctly saying 'Merry Christmas'. When she was very little and we were living on Springfield Drive, we had next-door neighbors named Mary and Earl. Both in their late eighties, they were lovely people and absolutely in love with Taylor. Taylor's confusion about "Mary Christmas" came about quite naturally as a result. With no concept of what the word 'merry' meant, she automatically assumed that when we ran around saying "Merry Christmas" at Christmas time, we must be talking about her favorite neighbor. The cute mix-up has become a family joke and tradition, even though she does know what the difference is these days. Mary has been gone for a few years now, but the fond memories will hopefully never fade.

Next, the cookies and milk for Santa. We put out a Santa snack each year, plus some Cheerios for Rudolph. The cookies are always homemade and decorated by Taylor. I was worried about how we were going to accomplish this, as Taylor was sick for the last several days and now it's my turn. Thank goodness for friends and neighbors!

Here's an example of Taylor's finest cookie decorating efforts for
Santa this year. To be honest, this is perhaps the only reason I
can think of to be glad I have the stomach plague. :)

Taylor asked me, "How many cookies does Santa eat when he's
out making deliveries?" I said, "If they're anything like this one,
probably about 3!"

Taylor was invited to attend a sleepover at her BFF's house on Monday, but because of a last minute snafu, the date was changed to last night, the 23rd. The change in plans could not have been more fortuitous. Rather than watch me retch and kvetch, Taylor spent last night at her BFF's house making cookies for Santa and having the time of her life. She and her friend Arianna stayed up until 3 a.m. playing games, jumping on beds and carousing as only 7-year old girls can do. I am most impressed that the girls were allowed to decorate their cookies ad lib, without the influence of an overly anal adult around (me). Very memorable and quite, uh, sugary. I hope Santa enjoys every bite. And brings his injectable insulin with him in his sleigh. He'll need it if he eats so much as a single bite of one of these babies.

Knock yourself out Santa!

John set up the message board, the snacks and Taylor's stocking upstairs in the front room. We've just finished wrapping the last of Taylor's gifts. Everything is set and ready to go. According to the latest Santa Tracker update from 9 News in Colorado, Santa should be making his stop at the Anthony household sometime within the hour. Better get myself to bed!

Kristin