Advent Day SORRY I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE

Ok, so it was fun while it lasted, but now the kids are getting colds and the camera doesn't take pictures like its supposed to anymore and we are pretty much finished with all the holiday cheer, BRING ON THE PRESENTS ALREADY.

Yesterday we made cookies with my sister-in-law and niece. Today we picked out presents at the mall for Dad. Tomorrow we're putting on Christmas pjs and watching the Grinch and eating candy canes and then on Friday we're opening presents at my parents' house and going to church. THE END. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED doing all these activities with the kids. LOVED. And they have loved getting up in the mornings and opening their envelope and participating in whatever it was that I cooked up for them. Next year I suspect it will be even easier to think of activities that are age-appropriate. I am looking forward to taking each of them shopping for a gift for their sibling and watching holiday movies that don't revolve around Mickey Mouse or Dora and maybe doing some more service-oriented projects.

I am hoping to scavenge some after-Christmas sales for some books that are oriented more towards Jesus than Santa (SO MANY SANTA BOOKS, so few Jesus books without characters that look like Precious Moments figurines) and a nativity set or two. I would love to have one to display and one that the kids could play with. And I am gathering ideas from all corners of the Internet to try out: maybe next year we'll do a Jesse Tree or line a manger with good deeds. There is so much great stuff out there! I hope the last month has given you some ideas, too. For me, it has been a great way to redirect our Christmas enthusiasm away from getting presents on ONE MORNING and has become a way to enjoy the entire month instead. I am getting more and more confident that, come Christmas morning, I WON'T BE CRYING FROM DISAPPOINTMENT. Oh, they might hate their gifts or act like ungrateful jerks, but I have a whole month of memories to enjoy, and I realize that if I spent a whole month trying to teach them that Christmas is more than one morning of presents and didn't get the concept myself? Well, then I'm a Grade-A Idiot.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming, which means I need to tell you that Dave and I went out to dinner last week at Red Robin and I ate my entire burger. A big burger. AN ENORMOUS BURGER, and I ate every last bite of it, and every fry that came in my basket, too.

And I felt ENORMOUS after I ate it. I can't remember the last time I ordered a restaurant hamburger and polished it off, much less one that included fried onion strings and blue cheese as toppings. I considered stopping halfway through, but then I thought NO, when am I going to do this again? And I kept going. And then we paid the bill and I stood up and said to Dave, “GOOD GRIEF, I'm full; I hope I can zip my jacket up!” and we both laughed and then I zipped my jacket up and we walked to the front door where – I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING YOU – my jacket promptly BURST OPEN. Like a CARTOON. The whole thing just... POPPED. It SPRUNG from my body – the zipper just... EXPLODED and I don't know if you've ever had a piece of clothing just pop open in front of people? It's kind of embarrassing.

And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, it took Dave and I six or seven minutes of struggling with the zipper to get it fixed (it was still attached right at my neck, so I couldn't pull the jacket off over my head) and it was 15 degrees outside so I couldn't go out with it undone and well, I am never eating a restaurant hamburger EVER AGAIN. In winter, at least.

The end. MY end, actually, as I discovered my underwear is getting too tight, so we shall be having some Major Exercise and Eating Overhaul Posts when the New Year comes along.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone. Thanks for following along this whole month and leaving fantastic comments and just being a part of this little corner of the Internet. Enjoy your families and your traditions and good food and that little baby, born in a manger, who came to change the whole world.

Comments

[Jen]

I have loved these Advent updates, so thanks for sticking with it so long! I really look forward to doing some of these things next year when my daughter is old enough to appreciate them a bit more - I'll be the one searching your archives at the end of November 2011.

Hope you and your family have a great holiday!

[Linda]

Did you get the A1 Peppercorn burger? That has the onion strings on it and is my fav. If not, please tell me what you got with blue cheese on it. Sounds fab.

[HereWeGoAJen]

I am going to plan ahead better next year (and probably come back to read these). But I am thinking for next year, I plan a lot of simple activities.

[cursingmama]

I've enjoyed (albeit quietly) your advent posts. My kids are too old for stories (I don't think so but at 18 & 15 they insist I no longer need to read to them)but my favorite Christmas stories are The Small One and The Littlest Angel - both about Jesus and not Santa.

Merry Christmas

[Amy]

I've loved the Advent thing!! I don't have kids yet and we talk a lot about what we want to do with them this time of year. We're not really religious but I want it to be magical for them.
I do so hope your Christmas is better than last year. It was your statement about last Christmas that made me realize that I have been reading your blog for OVER A YEAR and I'm not even sure if I've commented, maybe a little here or there, but gosh I sure as heck know you better than you know me. But I like you, Emily - I think we'd get along great! And I like your little family and here's to another year of posts that make me laugh out loud. Merry Christmas to you and yours :)

[steph]

I think you are a FANTASTIC mom! Seriously! I want to be YOU when I have kids!

(And I LOVE when you write about Jesus. :))

[kim]

I have enjoyed your Advent posts and have given me some great ideas for next year! Thank you for sharing your life with us! Hope you have a Merry Christmas and it is everything you hope it will be!

[Kim]

You might check after Christmas sales for a book my friend had. Unless you had it. But it was called 25 Days of Family Advent or something like that. I'm guessing she got it at a Christian bookstore? It had activities listed to do every day.

[Liza]

Dear sweet Emz.

One cannot blog about a jacket "springing" open IN CONCERT with "underwear getting too tight"...

And NOT put this bow on the box:

"oh, but OMG you guys DON'T WORRY, I am so much definitely one hundred percent NOT PREGNANT!"

I may be the only one saying it but trust me...manymanymany faithful Emilistas are wondering if springing jackets and tight undies are to ease us into The Announcement.

At least if you're pregs, Lucy will probably Lise interest in Creepy Shea at some point in time, in favor of Not Creepy new sibling.

Merry Christmas, Emily (and possible fetus of Emily! ;)
I'm really proud of you for sticking with the advent activities...this is the start for your kids of a lifelong understanding of what Christmas is really about.

[Kayla]

I really like the Little People Nativity Set for kids. I'm hoping to add one to my collection next year.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Nativity-Playset/dp/B003YM4QHE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293114612&sr=8-2

[Anne]

I am planning on doing your advent calendar idea with my 2 kids next year (they are about a year younger each than your kids). Thank you so much for the idea and for keeping me entertained! One of my days will be pick an angel off the tree at church and pick out the gifts for the underprivileged kids/family listed.

[Vanessa]

I've loved following along this month and stealing some of your ideas to do with my kiddos (we did the scavenger hunt just yesterday). I had every intention of joining you in blogging about it each day, but just never got around to it.
I second the Little People Nativity set - big hit at our home. And, this year we did the Jesse Tree for the first time. I actually used this book - http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Jesse-Tree-Devotions-Christmas/dp/1426712103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293116366&sr=8-1
It's a little bit different than the free resources on-line (different stories/ornaments for some) but we have LOVED it! My son is 4, like Asher, and he's learned so much about Jesus and what Christmas is really about. It has also been so nice to sit down as a family each evening and spend that time together. I will say this ... plan ahead or you won't get all your ornaments done and ready. I actually got a group of friends together last February and we split up the ornaments and had a swap in March. It was nice when December rolled around to have them all done and ready to go! Plus, it was way cheaper this way than trying to buy or make them all myself.
Anyway ... Merry Christmas!

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

I have loved your Advent posts - especially the photos of your adorable kids. I hope you have a super wonderful Christmas with no disappointment and lots of love.

[Sarah in Ottawa]

You've totally inspired me for next year, Emily. With an almost 2 year old and a soon-to-be 4 month old, it wasn't feasible this year. But next year? Watch out!

Have a blessed Christmas season!

[Cas]

Hi Emily,

I don't think I've commented before, but I just wanted to add my thanks for this month of posts! My girls have a similar age gap, just younger, so I've really enjoyed reading along and imagining what things will be like soon enough!

Merry Christmas!
Cas

[JenT]

YES!!! Little People!!! It's on my wish list for next year. I have so many memories of my mom getting out all the Christmas decorations and as soon as she got out the nativity my sister and I would play and play with it. We would arrange and re-arrange all the characters. We'd play with it for hours. I have a Willow Tree nativity set which I love, but it's too fragile for my 10-month old to play with so I bought him a cheapo nativity set from Amazon. I want him to grow up with the same memories I have. Merry Christmas!!

[Pippi]

I've loved your advent posts, too! I'm sure that your ideas will be ending up on our advent activity list next year,

We liked "The First Christmas" by Jan Pienkowski. We're not religious but my kids need to know the Christmas story. This one has gorgeous artwork and is straight from the King James version of the Bible. My 3 year old asked for it at least 3 or 4 times (and that's saying something since our stack of Christmas books is as tall as she is) and I really enjoyed reading it to her. I'm a bit of a sucker for giving kids real, adult poetry and literature in a way that's accessible for them and this one passed the test. I might even buy this one and since we live in a teeny tiny apartment not many books get that honor.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

[auntie]

I thought your Advent activities were awesome...your kids enjoyed most all of it and I'm really impressed that you were so flexible when things didn't work out quite as planned, or you had to make changes to something. We all have such high expectations of perfection around Christmas, it's really such a relief to give yourself a break and realize that it doesn't have to be perfect for it to be a perfect memory.

I hope you guys have a fabulous Christmas - you deserve it!

[Lynda M O]

Happy Happy December to you and your family-I love your blog and how you are so flexible with your adorable podlings. Asher won my heart when you told us he looks to younger sister for social cues. My sister provided that modeling for me as we grew up; she was two years younger.

[true religion jeans]

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[true religion jeans]

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

[Heather ben]

That is so funny! You did a great job keeping up with it.

There is a cute little people nativity set.

[Tracey]

I almost peed myself reading this.

[Heather]

Congrats! You did a great job with the Advent activities. I would not have been able to keep my enthusiasm up. Your blog is hilarious!

[Andrea]

I really want to do something like this in the next couple of years with my little ones. Thanks for the inspiration! Two books we loved are, 'Santa's Favorite Story' and 'Who is Coming to Our House.'