The Christmas of the bathrobe

It's been a busy week getting ready for Christmas. Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your Christmas's with us. I had so much fun reading all of your posts. I also loved reading all the comments on other's posts and seeing the various connections being made. Blogging is a great way to stay in touch with friends and families and a way to record memories. It also serves as a sort of community and support system as we so often read about people we have never met in real life, experiencing life in a way that we can really relate to. I definitely feel like I have made some new friends and rekindled old friendships through reading and commenting on these blogs. In fact, it was a treat to actually talk to Crafty P on the phone the other day so she could confirm my address to send me the goodies I won on her blog (am keeping my eye out for the mailman). We did go to college together and were bridesmaidsin a wedding together(over nine years ago)but I can't remember the last time we've seen each other in person. It was almost surreal to actually hear rather than read her voice, but yet we both talked for a few minutes about random stuff like her tricking her kids into sleeping and how late I stayed in bed that morning. Not the typical first phone conversation you have with someone, but then again maybe it is if you've been reading each other's blogs for years!

I kind of went on a little tangent there. I just want to say I am thankful to all you stop by here. I almost wish I could just hang out with you all for a few hours or few days. Hmmm...maybe I should start planning something! ;)

Anyway, we are going to make cut out cookies today and finish packing for our trip to my parents tomorrow. I am a strong believer in being home for Christmas if possible so the kids can wake up and come downstairs to their own tree in their own house. I'm fine leaving a few hours later to see family and celebrate together, but I had always had Christmas morning at home and I want that for my kids. Them...not so much. They have been asking for days to go to grandma's house and were honestly a little disappointed that they weren't going to be there for Christmas morning. Matt has to help at the Christmas Eve service so are staying put despite their pleas.



I want to share a funny story and let you make some predictions for Christmas morning, based on all you've read about my girls.

A few months ago Ella mentioned that she really wanted a bathrobe. I store that in my head, as any parent does when their child asks for something that isn't a giant Barbie Princess Castle or Disney Princess scooter and also happens to be useful and inexpensive. I was at Kohl's last month and I saw a couple different types of robes. I choose the softest and fluffiest one I could find and it was pink with little hearts. I though the ones with characters on them weren't as soft and Ella would never know what she was missing.

Fast forward to last Saturday night. We had returned home from spending time with our friends Jon and Renee, home for a few weeks from California. Matt headed out to Kohl's (yes, my husband likes to shop) to use his 30% coupon (yes, he has his own Kohl's card) and get a few things he had promised my parents he would help them find. I told him that it looked like we needed one more thing for Catherine and could he please find a bathrobe for her. Even though she didn't ask for one, I know she would want one once Ella had one. The next morning I was checking out his purchases. I pulled out the robe he got for Catherine. It was pink. With a light up Hello Kitty on it. Light up. Helly Kitty. I was immediately worried that Ella might be a bit unhappy with her robe compared to Catherine's.

But it gets worse. The other night she got out of the bath and I was drying her off. All of a sudden she remembered. "A robe. I want a robe, I need to put that on my Christmas list. I want a pink robe. With Hello Kitty on it." Uh oh. Can anyone sense trouble coming?!


I tried to lead her a bit saying that if I could pick any robe I would pick one that was soft and fluffy, that was what was most important. Maybe it would be cool if it had hearts on it too. Thankfully she agreed.

So what do you think will happen Christmas morning when Catherine opens her light up Hello Kitty robe. Do you think that all our teaching about being kind and gracious when you receive gifts will be evident in Ella's reaction? Have I really convinced her that a soft robe with hearts is much cooler than a pink Hello Kitty robe? Or do you think we'll be heading to Kohl's a in a few days to make an exchange?

I will let you ponder this as you do the final preparations for Christmas.