Oh yes, I was that mother....I had the kids sleep in the basement, which is their preferred place to sleep. I put crepe paper all over the door and told them that if anyone came up before normal wake up time, then I would personally go to their pile and take away a gift. Three of the kids were really just casualties of LeeLee's previous behavior. Since she woke us up at 1 a.m. and never went back to sleep last year, I decided drastic measures were in order. It worked! At 6 a.m., I heard a knock at the top of the stairs. I was able to reply, "I'm coming, I have to go to the bathroom." Then "I'm coming, I have to let the dogs out." Then, "I'm coming, I need to get my camera ready" Then finally, "Hold on, let me see if Santa even decided to stop at our house." Once I had confirmed that he had indeed made a stop, they ran through to the living room.....the best .89 cents I ever spent!
Each child was tickled with what they got. We don't do a big Christmas around here, because it just isn't really what I want it to be about, but it is nice to see the Christmas morning smiles.
Even Pippa had a present wrapped under the tree. Noelle was blessed with a Kindle from Santa. She is such an amazing reader, and I often can't get her to the library often enough....with the Kindle Santa gave her, she will be able to purchase books, and get them for the Kindle on loan from our library. This excites me because she can do it all from here.
LeeLee loved that Santa sent her exactly what she asked for. All she wanted was an elf you could touch. She was thrilled to have gotten this sweet elf. She loves Tina.
Hope wanted a dancing penguin, and she really does love this thing. They have all had fun making up dance routines with the penguin. It really warms my heart just for her to be here for Christmas morning. I am so happy that she gets to be a part of all the fun. My heart every Christmas morning breaks for the thousands of children who are like Hope waiting desperately for the love of a family. We had a special treat when we walked into church. Our Chinese brothers and sisters got baptized on Christmas morning, as one of them started crying when she explained that yes, she believed in Jesus, my tears became uncontrollable. Oh how I love China, how I love the people there, and oh how my heart aches for the children....the forgotten ones. Happy Birthday Jesus...in our house I hope that we give you what you really want for Christmas, which is simply just us!
1 comment:
You are brilliant with that stay-in-the-basement idea! :)
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