Look what Santa brought!!!

More pictures and fun discourses to follow, but here's something of our morning. He figured it out faster than I'd thought he would!

Seeing Holidays with new eyes

I've been telling Miles how much I love this season and how much he had to look forward to since he was about two weeks old. I remember pacing the sidewalk in the heavy heat just outside our apartment this summer pointing out the oak leaves and explaining that they were going to turn color and fall off and, what's more, that I was looking forward to it. That would signify Miles' first Thanksgiving and, more gloriously, Miles' first Christmas.

I thought it would be awesome singing Miles Christmas songs and showing him lights and taking him to church. I did not count on wanting to take him to see Santa Claus or wanting to buy him everything he could learn to want. I had great plans to teach Miles unselfishness in the face of poverty in the world, that life is more than the material, and that what mattered at Christmas was to be grateful for the gift of Christ and to enjoy the blessings of family and peace. I did not reckon on the powerful emotional urge to make his eyes light up with gifts on Christmas morning and to try to work out what he might say to Santa so I could anticipate it. Good thing I have at least one more year before he'll be aware of Mummy's attitude. HELP fellow parents! How do I not make my life about buying him presents? Besides not being able to afford to shower him with stuff, my ethos does not support getting him used to expecting such showers. But the idea of surreptitiously finding out what he asked Santa for and making that appear, to his visible wonder and delight on Christmas morning, is SO DELICIOUS. I really really have a strong urge to get him stuff he wants! I need an attitude change by next year...

Look... don't you just want to buy him everything?? :-P

Anyway. As it is, Miles has enjoyed a peaceful Thanksgiving in VA with Tita, Uncle Ninja, Grandma and Grandpa (Jon and I were there too). Mummy made a pie, which is always a drama, but which worked out pretty well this year. Thank Grandma Revell for the recipe! We had a lovely time at Tita's house eating delectables, watching The Princess Bride and playing Nintendo (holiday classics). Over Thanksgiving, we also saw Joel, Bri and Isaac and Leah, Matthew and Abigail during two separate trips to Eileen and Cappy's (Jamie was there too, challenging all to a game of Wii like the Black Knight at the crossing). Glorious times abounded. We were forced :-) to help the Rizzos get rid of their Thanksgiving leftovers TWICE and we were received with much hospitality. We love our family!!


Now we are hurtling toward Christmas. It will be a modest one, on our end, as we are still somewhat underemployed. But I'm pretty sure the best blessings of Christmas are easier to receive when money is in shorter supply. Besides, Miles hasn't yet learned how to ask for anything besides food :-P