The Santa Clause

Merry Christmas. 

We lost two this year.  About two weeks ago we were preparing dinner and Brigham pulls his mother aside. "Mom can we talk, alone?"  They went to the bedroom for two minutes and I heard Michelle summarily call me to join them. M: "Tell Dad what you told me Brig." B: "Dad, is Santa Clause real?"  We talked about it for a while and of course it was all the stupid kids on the bus that tipped them off.  He's old enough now that he really ought to be figuring it out but man it sure is tough when all the parts come together.  He cried and it was pretty difficult for the rest of the evening.  That's a rough part of your childhood to lose.

Then just two nights ago we are driving out to Mobile to watch a bowl game we got free tickets to and Mackay makes some statement in the car to the effect of, "David, you know he's not real and that the parents just put out the presents anyway don't you?"  I didn't hear it, but his mother sure did...she almost flew from the front passenger seat into the back row to tackle him and cover his little megaphone mouth.  Ruin it for yourself but don't you dare take that from a newly minted 6-year old!  We talked to him later too, same story and same sad result--but without the tears.

Christmas just isn't the same when little boys don't believe in Santa.  It's a little sadder, kind of more going through the motions.  Not that it was bad, it's just that it lacked a bit of the mad rush that Mackay had when he was willing to chug a bottle of Tabasco sauce just to get into the living room and open his presents. 

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Utah, had a successful interview and the drove home with my mother in her RV.  I've never driven an RV before, much less all the way across country.  It was really a lot of fun and the chance to spend time just talking to her was worth every second and dollar.  Having her around has been pretty cool.  Her purpose in being here was just to have a chance to spend bulk time with the blondies and thereby build a relationship with them individually. David in particularly has been resistant and like a wild horse needs to be broken.  They've already gone on several Grandma Susie dates and it's been a quantifiable good experience for both of them.

Yesterday was Sunday and the missionaries came over for dinner.  There are three of them in our ward now and it was fun to seen them interact together.  We had a huge dinner of ham, green beans and dutch oven artisan bread and afterward pulled out the nativity scene costumes that Marliese made us several years ago, while reading Luke 2.  The missionaries were the three wise men. 

Aaron gave the boys one of his old Xbox 360's, they each got a house banner from Hogwarts and a Harry Potter t-shirt (Brig's said "My patronus is a dementor" and mine said "It's LeviOsa, not LeviosA.) (I went up to some kid at Harry Potter World last month and corrected him as he tried to cast that spell.  He didn't know what to think; his mother died laughing.) David's big present was an RC monster truck, Mackay's a Pokemon pack and Brigham got KyloRen's shuttle.  It was pretty awesome and he had the thing built before noon.  Michelle got a watch and some Chaco shoes and Mom a ruby jewelry set I brought back from Afghanistan.  We had a wonderful time and it was really something else to see these kids become better each day as Christmas approached.  They are wonderful and regardless of what that mean old Grandma Susie says I love them very much.