That Was a Close One

Christmas is over and it’s a start to the new year. This past weekend was beautiful and we took down the last of our outside Christmas decorations. I mean it’s 353 days until Christmas people. Talk about putting your stuff out early! My husband and I really get into decorating. By our front door we have a 3 foot Santa and Nutcracker. My kids love them. Probably because they are about the same height. My two year old usually greets them with a hug and kiss. My four year old on the other hand was a little bit more skeptical about them. I may have told her that the elf on the shelf needed some back up to keep an eye on things. Don’t even get me started on the elf on the shelf bit. First off she wasn’t buying it and second my husband and I were the worst at remembering to move the damn thing. As I was packing things up in the kitchen I see O (the 4-year-old) loitering in the hallway next to the giant Santa. Me: “O, Whatcha doin? Need anything?” O: “Nope I’m good mama.” I walk away pretending I’m not paying attention One of my mommy super powers and defense mechanisms. Out of the corner of my eye I see her get real close to Santa’s face. O: “Hey, can you still hear me? Listen, I know you’ve been watching me and I know I haven’t been that good so I wanted to say thank you for telling him I was!” She then wraps her arms around him and gives him a quick hug and bolts off. Insert face palm. Well at least she believed that we have more spies around the house. I love making the holidays special for my children. Especially the part where i basically tell them inanimate objects are possessed and watching their every move reporting their behavior back to another mythical being. These are the traditions that bring us close together.