Advent

In an effort to make Christmas more meaningful this year and to try to start a family tradition that my kids will remember from their childhoods, I made an advent calendar. I got the basic idea from an old Martha Stewart magazine and adapted it to meet what I wanted it to be. I went to the dollar store in Hot Springs and bought 13 pairs of Christmas socks and enough little trinkets to fill each one. This weekend, I hung a ribbon on one of our walls and clothespinned the socks to the ribbon. Each clothespin has a date on it. Every day, we will take down that sock to see what trinket is inside. Also inside the sock is a piece of paper with an activity for us to do together, a special person to pray for and a simplified to preschool level Bible verse.

After church today, we took down the first sock. (Today is the first Sunday of Advent, even though it's not December yet.) Here's how it went:

Sock contained a chocolate covered marshmallow snowman.
Caleb's Response: "I don't like marshmallows!!!!" (He ended up eating it hours later and loved it.)
Planned Activity: wrap presents.
Unspoken purpose of activity: celebrate God's gift to us and giving gifts to others.
Result: After much whining about not being able to open presents, we explained that the presents stay under the tree until Christmas, when all the socks are gone. This placated him temporarily. He still really wants those baby trucks we got for his 9 month old cousin, though.
Other Result: Caleb and Rudy "sword fighting" and making funny voices with empty wrapping paper tubes while I wrapped presents.

Tonight at bedtime, we did pray for Memmie and Poppie, like the paper said we would. We also talked about what the Bible is (a book to teach us about God) and the simplified version of a lengthy verse in Isaiah. (We will be happy.)
Caleb's answer: "Not sad or angry?"
My answer: "No, God wants us to be happy."
Caleb's answer: "But you and Daddy always angry." (Just for clarification - in Caleb's world "always"means it has happened before, just like "last night" is anytime that is not right now.)
My answer: "Daddy and I get angry when you make bad choices, but we like to be happy when you make good choices. God likes it too."
Caleb's answer: "Okay, can we read a book about that real Santa?"

On that note, we're sticking with our original plan to not pretend that Santa is real. It's not easy, I tell you. Everywhere you look, there is something with Santa and everywhere we go, someone asks Caleb what Santa is bringing him for Christmas. I've struggled with how to handle it, but I'm sticking to my guns. Today, Caleb asked me, "Mama, will you call Santa and tell him I want one of those for Christmas?" Once again, I explained that Santa is pretend just like the other characters on TV and that his Christmas presents come from Mama and Daddy and the other people who love him. I'm not pushing it and I'm not preaching it, but when the questions come up, that's how I answer them. I know it's confusing to him to get mixed messages from us and the rest of the world, but I'd rather him be confused now rather than later when he's older and figures out that we've been lying to him all along.

So, tomorrow is the 2nd day of Advent. I wonder how long it'll take him to get the hang of the tradition...and will it be one that we continue? I hope so.