Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Christmas Joy



One of the things that has brought me JOY the last eight years is........








Every year our family and three other families (friends of ours) take turns hosting dinner and SANTA.

The kids of course know him as SANTA...but me, I don't even know his real name.

I know where he lives...because I have dropped off packages for him to deliver to our house. 

Along with our packages (each child gets one small gift), we leave SANTA a note about a couple of things we would like him to know about our children. This year I wanted SANTA to know that Brady is in 2nd grade, he is an awesome student and that he made the rankings in our state in tennis (I knew Brady would be impressed if Santa knew this!).     SANTA calls each child up one at a time, and mentions the things we've secretly shared with him.  SANTA has a fantastic memory...he never forgets a thing about all 8 children.  I am always amazed. 


The kids are always so excited...and we often have to keep them away from the
 door so they do not see SANTA drive up in his car!



SANTA gets us all to sing a couple of Christmas songs with him and he always
has a message for the kids about believing , keeping the Christmas spirit going
thoughout the year, and the true meaning of Christmas.

(My camera was not cooperating with me on Sunday!)
I'm always amazed by the grandness of Santa's suit...it's beautiful.
He also has a huge white sack with a big red letter "S" embroidered on it.
And, a little tiny red one filled with candy canes.
And, he is JINGLY all over!




Brady asked if I would help him type a list for Santa this year.
He picked the clipart out all by himself!
At the bottom he wrote Happy Birthday Jesus.
I was a little proud of him (to say the least!) for including that in his letter. 
 




 SANTA is retired and does not charge for his services.  Our group takes turns getting him and his wife a gift certificate.  I always write SANTA a letter to thank him for being such a memorable part of our family's Christmas.   I don't know that he goes around to many houses anymore.  He continues to visit us because he has done it for so many years.  He has seen our children grow.   I know that SANTA is not what Christmas is all about.  And, our children all know the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  I love this letter that Dana at Bungalow'56 wrote to Baby Jesus.  She assures Baby Jesus that we are not replacing him with all this santa and reindeer stuff...but celebrating his birth and waiting for His return.





I know this could be our last year of the whole believing thing....maybe not.  Brady hasn't questioned it at all.  It makes me a little sad to think that the magic of believing in SANTA might not last forever.  There are already a couple of kids in the group who know...but keep it a secret for the younger ones.  We will carry out this tradition to the last believers.  Then again, when this very kind spirited man makes his entrance  through the door each year....I get a little teary and become a believer myself all over again.










 

15 comments:

Dana @ Bungalow'56 said...

Just a wonderful post Kerri, What a wonderful gift you have in your neighbourhood Santa. His spirit is what makes Christmas so special for all of us. And the note at the end of Brady's letter, what a wonderful thing for him to think of. Have a wonderful Christmas. The girls have requested that Jesus' birthday cake be the rainbow cake we've been seeing around the blogsophere. Oh my, I have a feeling it will be a lot of work. But worth it.
xoxo
Dana

Gabe said...

what a fun idea and a lot more personal than going to the mall, which is what we do!

I love that he thought of Jesus too!

Nicolle said...

Well, that post made me a little teary eyed! Wow. Bless Santa's little heart. I love that he does this for the children. What a special man. I love this so much. I've heard the debate over and over about Santa and I have to say, Santa does not replace Jesus....Santa is just so much a part of it all. I don't know why people can't celebrate both?!! I love that your family recognizes the real meaning, but also the tradition and all that Christmas brings.

Merry Christmas to your family! I'm so blessed to have found you this year!

La said...

We still believe at our house. :o) Thank you for sharing such a special Christmas tradition. La

Jill said...

That is just so special! What amazing memories he'll have. :-) Hayley is 9 and still believes in Santa, I am encouraging the innocence of childhood as long as I can. :-)

Great goodies in your previous post! I am very sorry to hear of your friend's fight with cancer. I am praying for her. You would think by now we'd have a cure!

Many Blessings to you and your family,

Jill

sloan said...

what an amazing tradition this is, kerri - I love it!! My 4th grader (9 years old) still whole heartedly believes and, like you were saying, I am finding my self welling with tears every time she lights up over the magic of Santa and/or Toddy (our elf) b/c I know it can't last much longer ... nothing better than Christmas thru a child's eyes! Thanks for sharing this beautiful tradition of yours, I love it ... and I love Brady's special b'day wishes in his note, too - he's such a sweet boy!

Susanne said...

The kids must be beside themselves. Too fun!

Kim said...

How can you NOT believe when Santa comes to visit like that? That is the sweetest thing! What a wonderful man to do this.

Oh, and I love your soup version to use tortellini instead of orzo. I'm going to have to try it like that next time. :)

Donna said...

That is just the sweetest story! Cute, funny, family and God...all for the right reasons!!! Great post!!

KM said...

How fun! Some of my friends do the same :)

I will have to follow you since I am a Kerri too, and you have a Brady...I have a Brodie ;)

Stef said...

I love this. What a great guy to do that. I hope Brady believes a little longer. My 10 year old just found out this year. I was a little sad, but now he gets to help out. But once they stop the Santa, the focus can really be on the real meaning...even more.

Susan R said...

Do you think Santa would travel to Denver Colorado? What an amazing fella to do such a wonderful thing.
I think Brady and my Paige are about the same age and Paige is starting to question things...she has already figured out the Tooth Fairy's secret, from there on it's just a matter of time.

Steph @ Professors_Wife said...

Back in my WV hometown, there's a santa... and he's so fab! He loves what he does, and really gets into it each year :) My step-sisters kids just love him, and I get to watch the action every year when he drops by the house to visit them on Christmas eve. Talk about FUN!

I just wanted to stop by and wish you a very merry Christmas, my awesome blogging friend :)
If you haven't already, you can go ahead and drop by my new blog, "http://www.aprofessorswife.com", and follow. I won't start posting there regularly until January 1st, so I'll continue at my Grad Students' Wife blog until then :)

I hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend! :)

{cindy} said...

This is such a sweet tradition and a magical part of your Christmas. What a wonderful man he is to give such joy to all those families.
Love Brady's letter.
What a little angel.
Enjoy the night

Jenny said...

I am late visiting from Dana's party, but I'm so glad I didn't miss your link.

This brought back so many memories of when my kids were small! I smiled throughout...and the pictures were, indeed, a joy!

Wonderful seeing a new, happy blog! I will be back!

Hope you're recovering well from a weekend of merry and jolly.

 
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