I made sausage balls and German pancakes. I almost burnt the pancakes because Tiny Diva Dancer decided to change clothes before breakfast, but she didn’t want to wear anything acceptable (i.e. suited for cold weather). She threw a little fit, Mama threw a little fit, and then we all sat down and had a nice breakfast. I believe that was the biggest stress of the entire day, so I’m calling it a huge success!
After breakfast, before presents, we huddled together to hear the story behind “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Did you know the song was actually an underground teaching tool of the persecuted Catholic church in England? Jesus is the partridge in the pear tree. The two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments. The three French hens are gold, frankincense, and myrrh…Fascinating!
Then it was on to the chaos fun! The kids loved everything they got, and were so sweet about each little present. Over the past several weeks people have been asking them what they wanted Santa to bring them for Christmas. They’ve responded with dumbfounded stares, and I think the reason is two-fold. One, they really don’t know who the heck Santa is. We’re not at all “anti-Santa,” but we want them to grasp the concept of Jesus, first. But mostly, I think they really haven’t known what to ask for. And I just have to say, that is yet another benefit of no t.v.! Praise the Lord!;)
After presents we sat around and chatted until the kids grown-ups began to fade. We’d stuffed ourselves at breakfast, so we decided to save the Turkey for dinner time. I napped with Lil Prince, Grandma napped with the girls, and the higher energy crowd took the party next door.
Mom cleaned up from dinner, so I’m predicting an early bedtime for me (seriously, what is with the Tryptophan? I can’t handle it!). The kids are all in bed (laughing and singing, full of joy from the day), and there is nothing to be done that can’t be saved for tomorrow.
Well, maybe I’ll have one more piece of fudge. Then it’s off to bed, or at least the couch for a movie;)
Merry Christmas all!
4 Responses to “An Almost Stress-Free Christmas”
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Sandra,
I wondered if that would be confusing!:)
We have a t.v. but just for movies…we don’t have it hooked up for any channels. We’ve decided that commercials and prime time t.v. just aren’t healthy for any of us. The kiddos have some Veggie Tales, and even a few fairy tales that Papa Bear and I have approved together. “No t.v,” to us, means that nothing can invade our home without our permission.
Thanks for the compliment!
This is a sweet story. I was so impressed when you said “no tv” but then you said you were going to watch a movie. Does that mean that you just don’t let your children watch tv, but you do have one? Then I’m even more impressed — that must be hard to do!
Whichever, I do think tv sends many wrong messages on many levels, including the “you have to have this to be happy” idea about a certain toy!
It sounds like you and your husband have great Christian parenting instincts.
I enjoy reading your blog.
I love how you celebrate Christmas with your children! Just goes to show how much TV influences their little minds, too. (I’m a preschool teacher, so I know a bit too much about this.) My kids were never big on the gifts either and now are the most appreciative teenagers. They clearly love our traditions more than the gifts. Thank you for sharing your day!
What a great day! Enjoy the weekend.