Leah and Emma really got Christmas this year and it was a lot of fun. They have had an ongoing holiday theme at preschool so there was no way that Christmas could sneak up on us this year.
The official holiday started on their last day of preschool. They had a holiday party where their families were invited. For 45 mins they did crafts then sang us all the songs they’d been taught (including my favourite, Feliz Daddydad). Claire really enjoyed the singing and was clapping and rocking away. At the end of the party I got two really nice (I’m serious) wooden trees that they’d worked on. The whole day was really nice.
The build up to Santa was pretty fun. We drove around admiring xmas lights and the girls really got into it this year. Last year they’d point them out but gradually lose interest. This year they were directing John down the street and squealing with excitement every time we found a good house. Unlike their neighbours, 3 year olds really appreciate those houses that really do it up with blow up Christmas characters and as much tacky crap that you can shove on your surburban postage stamp lawn. At least we had lots of snow to brighten it up.
They also learned all about Santa this year and were very excited about Rudolph and Christmas Eve. They settled on their gift from Santa in early December. Leah wanted a Dora Mermaid doll, Emma wanted a baby doll, and we were told Claire wanted a toy dog. Easy enough for Santa this year. They even told him he could find everything he needed at Costco.
Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Bonnie’s in Whitby to celebrate Great Grandpa’s 95th Birthday. The girls helped him blow out his cake and open his presents. We left there just before 8 and headed over to Great Grandpa’s house to get ready for Santa. They put out cookies and the reindeer food they made at school. They were easy to get into bed and Emma fell asleep quickly. Leah was up til 11 and kept on telling us she’d heard Santa and couldn’t sleep. Way too much excitement for Leah! John took 30 mins off their clock.
Christmas morning they woke up at 7:24 (6:54 their time) and sat in their room and talked. At 7am they started calling for us. They were super excited to see that Santa had delivered and were really excited about their stockings (which I had nearly forgotten about). They played with their Santa stuff and when everyone else was up we started to open all the presents. Needless to say they had lots of fun opening presents.
We all did really well with them this year and they loved everything they got. The biggest reaction was when they got a Dora DVD. They did a little touchdown dance and started screaming with excitement. It was funny.
Claire was really good and let everyone pass her around. She even managed to get a new tooth while we were in Oshawa and I didn’t notice til we got home. She really likes music lately and the maracas and drum set she got are a big hit.
All in all it was a very relaxing holiday. The girls enjoy seeing their family and we are happy to share them at a time of year that really is fun with kids around.
