Merry Christmas

And a merry Christmas it was.  No one went overboard.  The little woman had seven presents under the tree and the little man had six.  Pat and Mom each had five.  The little man was thrilled to get the hoverboard that he negotiated for.  He can make it go, but it still tentative.  And he should be since he just got his tonsils out yesterday.  The little woman said her best gift was the holiday Barbie, but I noticed she spent a lot of time with the bracelet making set.
Each kid got to talk to the parents and I was happy that it came before the gift opening.  That way they didn't get asked about all their presents like the other siblings got.  Part of keeping life simple and manageable is a nice amount of presents that seems just right.
Santa did not come this year as we had planned.  In November the little man asked about the truth of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy.  Back when he was five, one of the neighbor kids told them the truth and I managed to put it off till now.  Since I was already having trouble with the difference in what Santa brings for them and others, I decided to use this time for the true meaning of Santa.  So we talked about how Santa is just fun, and that now that they know the truth, it is time to pay it forward.  We talked about who we could be Santa to.  Who in our small group of friends and friendly neighbors might need a Santa gift.  And we hit on Renee.  She lost her son this year so this holiday was going to be hard.  So the little man found a game she could add to her collection and the little woman gave her a candle.  We wrapped them up and very sneakily took them over to her house last night while she was gone.  I was glad she didn't choose that moment to come home.  And they were great with this.