Angels Among Us

Kinley is not sure the Santa we saw at Manhattan's WalMart was the real Santa - her words, not mine.

"I think the real Santa might be too busy working in his workshop," Kinley told us.

The WalMart Santa was friendly enough, but he wasn't as hefty as the stereotypical version. And then, when we went to a Christmas festival just down the road at Blue Earth Plaza and saw Santa again, Kinley was even more skeptical.

"How'd he get over here so fast?" she said, as we hurried the duo past the curving line of children and parents waiting to talk to Santa and checked out the ice sculptures instead.

 

Brooke didn't offer an opinion about Santa's authenticity. But she was not going to interact without the buffer provided by Grandpa. 

Randy is hoping that it was the real guy from the North Pole and not just an imposter.

"I want a new tractor," he boldly told the man.
"What kind?" Santa's helper asked.
"Red," Randy proclaimed, clearly trying to appeal to the guy's fashion sense.

Santa looked at me and said, "Do you suppose he'll get a red tractor for Christmas?"

I looked at Santa and said, "I kind of doubt it, even though he's been pretty good this year."

At the time, I was questioning my decision to be at WalMart on a Saturday in December. When we entered the doors, there wasn't a cart available. We waited until someone leaving politely asked if we needed a cart.

And I was there with two little girls - neither of whom wanted to ride in the cart. They were willing to hold onto the cart, but that made us worthy of a "wide load" designation in a store packed with shoppers, carts and aisles with items strategically placed to entice us to buy, buy, buy!

But we were there for a specific purpose: Before we left Stafford to babysit the girls for the weekend, I'd gotten a gift tag from the Stafford Angel Tree. I asked for a little girl in the 3 to 6 age range because I wanted my experts to help me.

There were a couple of reasons for that. First, I'm notoriously decision-challenged. (Just ask my family.) Second, I thought it was a good exercise for Kinley and Brooke. On our way across town, I told the girls that we were going to shop for a little girl who, according to the gift tag, "likes reading and coloring," two activities they love, too. I told them that the tag gave us her shoe size and clothing sizes and that we'd pick out those things, too. Her parent also said, "She'll be happy with anything!" That sentiment made me even more eager for the girls to wander the toy aisles for what they thought would be the perfect toy to add to the Christmas bag.

I explained that this little girl might not get much for Christmas unless we helped out.

"Why?" my curious helpers asked.

"Well, sometimes Mommys and Daddys don't have enough money to buy toys or even new shoes," I explained. "Sometimes boys and girls don't have as much as you guys do, so it's up to us to help them out so they can have a fun Christmas, too, just like you guys will."

Earlier in the month, the girls and their Mommy had already packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a project at their church. They had found treasures small enough to pack inside a shoe box.

For the Angel Tree project, we didn't have that size restriction. The hardest part was paring down the girls' choices. In the end, they picked out light-up shoes, saying their Mommy didn't let them choose the illuminated version for themselves during their last shoe-shopping trip. They selected clothing, books, coloring book and crayons, as well as a baby doll complete with stuffed animal.

When Jill and Eric got home, Jill quizzed the girls about what they'd done. They talked about the cookie decorating and the ice sculptures at the Christmas festival. They showed their craft creations.

But then Brooke offered an explanation about shopping for another little girl. And I was amazed at how much her 3-year-old mind had retained, telling Mommy that we were helping a little girl have a good Christmas.

I usually bring a bag of library books to read when we visit the girls. This past weekend, my voice was out of commission because of a cold. But there were evidently lessons taking place anyway.

Besides the lessons about sharing and giving, Grandma learned that she still was able to get three people ready and out the door in time for an 8:30 church service. (I did let Grandpa fight a shoe selection battle while I went to change.)

Grandma also learned that it's nice to just sit in the audience and enjoy the show at a church Christmas program. (I was in charge of the Stafford UMC Christmas musicals and programs for a lot of years, so I appreciate all the work behind the scenes.)

And, if I get discouraged about my lack of progress in decorating and baking for Christmas because I'm still fighting this silly cold, I'll just watch the video of Brooke and her preschool buddies rehearsing their big moment in the church Christmas program. And I'll remember her sweet little voice telling her Mommy that we were helping another little girl have a good Christmas.

That's what it's all about anyway.


Brooke's Away in a Manger from Kim Fritzemeier on Vimeo.

Time Will Tell and Time Will Fly

Notice the pink polish on the toes to match her cast!

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas
 if you stop opening presents and listen. 
–Anonymous

I wish I could say that Kinley was pointing at wonder to the overflowing stockings and the full array of presents under the tree.

 

But that would be a falsehood. (That sounds so much better than a lie, doesn't it?)

 

Instead, I believe she was pointing to her favorite television show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, while we waited on the rest of the family to wake up.

Instead, I was the one staring in wonder.

How times have changed in the past two years! Our belated family Christmas of 2011 was interrupted by a little girl who couldn't wait until her January due date to make an appearance. She was scarcely bigger than her stocking when our little family opened presents on January 1, 2012.

And, two years later, she's a go-getter who doesn't even let a bulky cast slow her down.

Does her fascination with lip balm portend a love for make-up during her teen years? Time will tell. And time will fly.

She is a helper - whether it's in the kitchen, dusting the furniture, sweeping the floor or constructing with Grandpa and Daddy on Christmas morning (or on December 23, which is when we had our little family Christmas).

As I quipped on Facebook: "How many engineers, farmers and toddlers does it take to successfully complete the construction of one doll nursery?" Evidently, one of each, since Kinley was able to use it to feed and sleep her dolly later in the day.\

As I watched her loving her baby dolls, I thought of another little girl.

It doesn't seem that long ago. 

Jill & her dolly

As she ripped into the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that Uncle Brent was sure would be the best gift of the year, I thought about the little boy the gift giver used to be.

And I remembered a gift that he thought was the best Christmas gift of all time. I can still hear him say, "I'm naming him Lucky because I'm so lucky to have him!"

Amidst the empty boxes and torn paper were other memories, too, especially of a very special Santa's helper in our lives. Christmas itself would be emptier without the memories.

Brent & Santa's helper - AKA Grandpa Melvin at a long-ago Stafford Santaland

I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit

in jars and open a jar of it every month. 

–Harlan Miller, author

Isn't that kind of what we do when we remember? I think so.

(I know it's January 2014, but I took a vacation from the blog during the last week of December. I'm still playing catch up!)

Ho! Ho! No! No! No!

A Christmas Story

By Kinley Marie

Give me a tiny Mickey Mouse hat for my head.

 

Give me a tiny horn to toot.

Make me fluff the Christmas tree. (I'll hold my mouth just so!)

Make me examine old Christmas tree ornaments from my Mommy's and Daddy's past.

I'll hang the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ornament that Grandma and Grandpa brought me (after I carry it around awhile).

 

Yes, I'll even stand on my leg to work, even though it's in a cast. 

I'll supervise the parents' decorating efforts while I rest my leg and check email on Mommy's phone. 

But do not make me go see that big guy in the red suit and the beard. Ho, Ho, NO, NO, NO!

Last year, Mommy & Daddy made me sit on that guy's lap.

This year, they said I could decide for myself. (I heard my Mommy tell my Grandma that I didn't need anymore trauma when my leg is already in a cast.)

And I decided, "No, no, NO!" (even though Santa probably would have liked my Christmas sock and my jingle bell. He probably would have liked my cast, too, now that I've switched to pink. It's just a lighter shade of red, you know, which the Big Guy seems to like.)

Santa seems to be popular. There was a line to see him at the mall. I graciously decided that someone else could take my place.

This year, I think I'll just stick to a Christmas portrait with Mommy and Daddy.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Until next time,
Kinley Marie

Who's On First? Or Second?

The ornament we gave Kinley says it was her first Christmas.

Her shirt said it was her first Christmas.

But this was technically Kinley's second "Christmas" with us. She was the best party crasher of all time.

Kinley was supposed to arrive in January 2012. Instead, she arrived on December 30, 2011. She crashed our little family Christmas that was supposed to happen that evening. Instead, we opened our family presents on January 1, the day she came home from the hospital. (Yes, she already had presents under the tree and plenty of "stuff" in her stocking without Grandma having to do a bit of last-minute shopping.)

Her stocking originally had a sonogram photo. By the time she opened her stocking last year, we had already substituted a photo with pink Powercat stocking hat.

It's amazing to see how much she has changed during the past year. She's definitely bigger than her stocking now.

She is walking ...

... and "talking" (now if we just knew what she was saying)  ...

... and discovering new things every day - such as liking stuffed Santas much better than the mall version.

So, whether this year was her first or second Christmas with us, we're sure glad she arrived.

She's a gift and a blessing.