Comin' on Christmas

Because I can't seem to keep up with writing posts about every Christmas celebration, here's a catch-all post about what holiday sort of stuff we've been up to.

1) SNOWMAN. The boys still call Santa "Snowman." By extension, every Christmas special we watch on Netflix (and there are MANY) is called "Snowman" + Name of Primary Character in Said Special. Our favorites are "Snowman Mickey" (Mickey's Once (and Twice) Upon a Christmas), "Snowman Pooh" (A Very Merry Pooh Year), "Snowman Thomas" (Merry Christmas, Thomas), and "Snowman Bob" (Bob's White Christmas).

As a result of this, we've not talked up the Santa aspect of Christmas AT ALL. It'd be fine with me if we never had to. I know that we will - probably next year, but for now, we've gotten a reprieve from all that, and that is fine by me.

2) DOWNTOWN WAYNESVILLE'S NITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Early in the season, I saw that Waynesville First Baptist Church was having a Living Nativity to coincide with the downtown-wide Nite Before Christmas celebration. We'd all planned to go, but since the Tarheels were still playing when the time came, it ended up just being me and Jones.

Weather-wise, it was perfect. Just barely cool enough to require a sweater, it was so comfortable (read: wonderful) being outside. After we waited in the LOOOOONNNNGGG line to get into the Living Nativity, Jones and I had ZERO luck finding the actual Nativity. In fact, I assumed there was only a recreated Bethlehem, because I saw NO evidence of a stable, animals, etc. I couldn't find any of the stuff that we came to see (we later found out it was on the street behind where we were. BUMMER. Also, SIGNAGE, PLEASE).

So Jones and I left and headed down Main Street. First stop was City Bakery for some sweet treats, which we then sat and ate. As we headed down Main Street, Jones saw a horse drawn carriage. Of course, he was OBSESSED with it. We saw a sign on it that said that rides started at the United Community Bank, so we headed that way.

When we got there, there were AT LEAST a half million people in line.  Jones said, unequivocally, that he wanted to ride it, and though I feared waiting 90 minutes for him to chicken out at the pivotal moment, we stood and waited, because, as Jones says whenever he sees Christmas lights, "It's Chreeeesmastime, Mama."

At 7:30, we'd been in line for an hour and moved, maybe 10 feet. Jones was officially up past his bedtime and was getting restless ... and whiny. I warned him several times that we would leave, if he didn't quit whining and disobeying. He didn't quit, so I made good on my promise to leave.

This was a really hard decision to make - I wanted him to ride it, if he wanted to, but at the same time, I didn't want to send the message that I didn't mean what I said (and I wasn't sure that he wouldn't get to the front of the line and then refuse to board the wagon), so after more warnings than I'd typically give to quit the whining and the temper tantrums, we walked away.

There were about four or five blocks - maybe a few more - between where we were standing and where our car was parked. Jones screamed for every single one of those blocks. Nothing shatters the magic of a Christmas evening quite like a screaming toddler being carried by his huffing-puffing, out- of-shape mother up the steady incline of a mountain Main Street.

People would (understandably) stop and stare at the screaming child. It was one of the few times in my life when I wanted to climb in a whole and cover myself up with lawn divots.

(As a result of his behavior on this nite, I very sadly decided to skip the church Christmas concert I'd planned to take him to the next nite. Maybe by NEXT Christmas, he'll be better able to handle later-than-usual nites.)

3) ROPER MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. When I was in high school, I have very vivid memories of driving through to see the Roper Mountain Christmas Lights every year. Typically, we'd pile in my convertible or Seth's, roll the top back, and "Go Around Again Free" again and again, until we just got bored of the whole thing.

So this year, Mom, Daddy, and I took the boys to see the lights, too (Jeremy was in Canton, working, on the nite we went). Freddie was really quiet the entire time - the next nite, he broke a fever, so I'm guessing he wasn't feeling well - but Jones thoroughly enjoyed it.

This picture is possibly the most "Jones" picture ever -
holding a tractor while looking at Christmas lights.
"These are a few of his favorite things." 

4) CAT DUDE. At Pawleys Island this summer, Daddy asked Jones if he were a dude. Jones responded, "I a Cat Dude." "Cat Dude" has become a running theme in their conversations, prompting a simple gift from Jojo to become Pop's First Gift of Christmas.

5) UNCLE JIM & AUNT ZEATA'S. On the Saturday before Christmas, we went to Jeremy's Aunt Zeata's house to see his cousins and their families. The boys were as good as gold, mercifully, mostly because they sat at Zeata's kitchen bar eating "beebees" (strawberries / blueberries), crackers, and Chicken McNuggets the entire time. They wore their "Christmas hats." I bought these hats, a match to their Christmas Eve pants, when Gymboree had them on sale for $5 each. I go back and forth between thinking they're adorable and thinking they make the boys look like idiots, but both boys ADORE them, so we're there ya go. 

6) ARDEN PRESBYTERIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL BRUNCH. When we showed up for Sunday school on Sunday, we were met by a deacon at the door to the boys' building. He said, "You know there's no Sunday school today?" Having missed last Sunday, we didn't. "There's a church-wide fellowship!" we were told. So off we went, and it was really, really fun. First of all, we got to meet some new people and visit with some old friends, but also, the boys played REALLY well, and they didn't stay right at my feet. They played in an open space a few feet in front of me, which was awesome to see them feeling more comfortable in our new church. 

Then, we went to church, where Mr. John gave Jones a wooden boat he'd made. You'd have thought he'd given him a chest of gold. He was SO excited.

7) PRESENTS. I've purposely kept the presents out of the den, assuming they'd be a huge temptation for the boys. Rather than worry what they were up to when I'm in any other room of the house, I just left the presents spread out in little piles all over the office floor. The boys have shown ZERO interest in them.  In fact, they've been SO uninterested in them that I'd started thinking that maybe it was safe to bring some in to the den. 

Before I could do it, though, Jeremy brought two of my gifts in on Sunday nite. I opened one (THAT'S a story in and of itself; let me just tell you ...). The other he left propped up against the wall under the tree to stay until Christmas morning. The next day, I came in to THIS scene. 

Jones's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He didn't get in trouble - after all, I'd never told him NOT to open the presents under the tree - but I DID decide that, at this point, it was better to keep the gifts in the office, safely away from inquiring little minds.

By the way, the gift he opened is the new biography of Rosemary Kennedy. I started it last nite, and it.is.AMAZING.

8) CHRISTMAS WITH THE BOONE FAMILY. As we always do, we had Christmas with Jeremy's extended family a few days early at cousin Carrie's house. All day, I practiced with the boys what to say when they got a gift and reminded them to say, "Merry Christmas!" 

When I asked Freddie what to say when someone gave him a present, he said, "God," but it sounded more like "Gawwwwww-uddd," and I couldn't ever get it on camera. Now, in spite of our practicing, Jones's delivery was significantly less spirited and more shy in person, but he managed to say, "Thank you" and even told people "Merry Christmas" as we left. Freddie's version is "Kissy!" which is absolutely awesome and which I also hope to capture on video before the end of the season. It's just that they almost always quit their tricks as soon as they see me start rolling on the camera.

As they always do, Jones and Freddie had a BALL playing with little little Lila's toys at Carrie's house. Her piano was again a huge hit (JoJo is getting a piano from my parents, though it's black instead of pink, per Jeremy's request!), but the coffee pot (or the Minnie Mouse "Toon Car") was probably the favorite this visit. 

Jones asked everyone who walked in the room if they wanted coffee. He'd then pour them a cup, which was really pouring from one pot into another and then handing one pot to the person. At one point, Jones pulled out Lila's Bitty Baby high chair. Not knowing it was a seat for dolls and not boys, Jones tried to climb in it. I showed him that it's for feeding babies and put the doll that Lila named Freddie in it (seriously. She has Bitty Babies named Jones and Freddie - Jones has brown eyes and Freddie has blue, and this is one of my favorite things ever). Jones said, "Oh! Alright! I make him some coffee." I'm sure that's just what Baby Freddie wanted. Jones was willing to be in the group photo of the ten great grandkids this year, which was a nice change of pace, and when we pulled out of the driveway, he said, "That was fu-uu-un!" 

Freddie, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about the group photo. He ran off after a few awkward shots. He did, however, love the coffee pot. When it came time to go, Freddie walked around Lila's room and said, "Bye bye, Baby" to each of her dolls in their different beds around her room. Then next day, we were driving around, and he said, "I want Yiyah!" For the first time ever, I think he met LITTLE Lila instead of the older Lila we'll see tomorrow!

9) LINUS. Finally, Jeremy and I have been trying to watch a Christmas movie a nite this week. After getting home from Carrie's, we watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Jeremy very quickly noticed a familiarity between one of our boys and one of the characters.

So that's Christmas so far. Tonite, we are planning to go out as a family of four (mostly so that they boys don't re-destroy the house once I get it straightened up today), and tomorrow, we head to Greenville mid-morning. It will be interesting to see how Jones and Freddie like the pandemonium of Christmas Eve at Mayme and Pop's house!