I highly suggest you also take this time to educate yourself in after xmas sales (for stuff).

Target after xmas sale = wrapping paper, ribbon and bows for >$1, boxes xmas cards for >$3. You can find neutreal paper (for birthdays and other events).

I had a similar problem with Maddy one year. After her visit to Santa, in which she whispered in his ear what she wanted, I asked her what she'd requested. All I could get out of her was "you'll find out".

Our stockings were usually put out on the ground by the fireplace after stuffing, too heavy to hang. We always had an orange and ribbon candy. Then other misc smaller stuff. My mom ususally still sends me little things to put in mine.

Stockings are for after shave samples, soap-on-a-rope and Esquire. (Or is this no longer the '80s?)

I walked into our local hobby shop, and my jaw dropped. You can buy planes and helicopters that have fuel tanks and that they make you take classes in order to buy. I went for the balsa wood gliders. They lasted two days, which is about how long Christmas enthusiasm generally lasts.

The funny thing about the Santa thing is that last year I told him he wasn't real. This year he would talk about Santa and ask questions and I would give him the, "Santa is the spirit of giving" line (which sounds lame, and feels lame saying it), and he would keep talking like Santa was a real person. Yet he remembered me saying Santa wasn't real. Finally I asked him if he wanted me to pretend that Santa was a real person and he said yes. He's forgotten all about the pretending stuff. Kids are funny.

I picked up some $1 stuff from the children's museum this morning when we went. Between that and the $1 stuff from Target, I think we're all set for stockings. I'll pick up some fruit leathers from TJ's to put in there too.

I'm dying some play silks tonight for the kids and dropping by the hobby store for the plane. Then tomorrow I'll hit Target again for my sis's crock pot and some candy. Saturday I have to go to Ikea and get Jade a rocking moose and go to the grocery store for stuff to make Santa's cookies and fudge. Sunday I'll hopefully be done with everything as it's lunch with my sister's family. Then a flurry of wrapping Sunday night.

Next year I'm starting in February!

My mom seriously does that - shops all year, and then relaxes during the holidays.

I grew up in a house without a fireplace, so we had a nifty 1970's cardboard one that had a little flicker light in the bottom that we would assemble each year. Mom would tack our stockings to the front, and then lay them under the tree once they were stuffed.

I thought Santa had a quick whisper with Mom once the young'n was off his lap. Otherwise, how would you not go crazy?

You know, stocking stuffers don't have to be limited to fruit and holiday chocolates. They're perfect for gift cards, or, for me, since I'm a huge creative writer and love crafty things, markers and notebooks were great things to find too.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a personalized stocking, after all...one that no other kid has!

I heard this great story about the real Santa Claus AKA Noel Baba this morning on NPR. His birthplace is in Turkey and they are capitalizing on the Western Christmas connection by doing such things as replacing the bronze statue of Saint Nicholas

With this:

Nope - it was kind of a problem till I finally convinced her to make a list.

I miss filling the stockings. It was at once one of the most charming things to do for our daughter, and one of the most romantic things to do late at night with her mom.




Le Sigh.