Christmas with the Richardson's

Merry Christmas to you from The Richardson's

Chris, going to bed on Christmas Eve

re-setting the train tracks
this is the train set from Par-Ran

now, almost all of the kids have their very own LED headlamps
(I think we have 3 left to go)

Woody from Toy Story

Look, Santa assembled the train tracks when he delivered the presents!

goodies under the tree
I don't know how Mom & Dad did it with TEN kids!

One of the local farms has a spectacular light show, pony rides, Christmas antique barn, and more. Here are Mike and Chris next to Elvis!

"Family Traditions" in the Richardson household may be static...or not. We decide on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. Some things, we love, and keep, such as mint juleps on Kentucky Derby Day; some things we take as often as we get them, such as luminarias on Christmas Eve in Albuquerque (complete with tamales, green chile, red chile, and more!), some things we change as quickly as the blink of an eye, such as what to do on vacations.

But, Christmas is a one of our favorites. The true meaning of Christmas is not lost on us, and we love to share.

Some of our traditions include:

Mike's Birthday

The lighting of the candles by Charles and Patrick

the HEAT of 47 candles = HOTNESS

I'm not sure he remembered to make a wish, it was getting so hot in the room

so dang hot, it MELTED most of the candles, some never had a chance!

2nd annual cookie exchange:

thanks to my beautiful cousin, Tina

these didn't make it to the exchange, but we made them on the same day, a family favorite: Spritz cookies

making the Snickerdoodles, Ginger Snaps and Spritz cookies at Grandma's house
one of my favorite parts of childhood...Grandma's house, farm and kitchen!
as it was and is for so many others...

after the exchange, the party at Grandma's included the girls (Tina, Ashley, Cathy), Chris and JR
JR & Chris can make some really good cookies!

Making Snowflakes from printer paper:

I've been making snowflakes since I was a teenager. Some years I've made a lot, some none at all. This year...a LOT! Sometimes they appeared on the ceilings of loved ones, sometimes they were left on desks, sometimes on walls, occasionally in the mail. On my last day of subbing for elementary school before the Christmas holidays started, I was able to teach 15 children how to make their own snowflakes. They did a great job!
We love snowflakes, especially the real ones!

Real Snowflakes: A White Christmas 2010!

Some years we are able to do, give and be exactly what we want. In recent years, we've had some "shifts" in our lifestyle and living arrangements. Not that any of that was bad, just different, and thus we adjust to match the situation. In our current apartment, we can only put up about half of our decorations, and we use a 6-ft artificial tree. When we eventually move to larger quarters, we'll shift that tree to Chris' bedroom and get a larger, live or cut tree. In years past, we've had 8 and 9-ft trees that we hunted for in the Cibola or Santa Fe Forests in NM.

Now, that was a fun tradition! Obtain a $10 permit for every family that was participating, all meet early on the Sat before Christmas, loaded up with hot chocolate, lunch and other snacks. Then, caravan to the forest and the hunting begins. Some years it was just 3 familes, other times there were up to 10. Each year was a new adventure and a blast. That's where, in the snow, that Chris got to make his first snow angel. He was 18 months old and he kept dropping to the ground and wouldn't help get himself up. We finally figured out he was copying his Papa and was making his own angel! I could write a long time on these adventures, especially on the "Charlie Brown" trees my husband would inevitably find, but that will have to wait for another time.

Christmas with a young'un sure makes things more magical. We did get him most of what he wanted on his Christmas list...oh, yes, the list he wrote back in June and then pinned to the wall until December! We did not get the PS3 gaming system. We just can't subscribe to getting children each and every gaming system. He has 2, plus the internet, and that's enough for a 7-yr old. Call us old fashioned or strict, but too much is too much. I love computer technology more than most, and I just can't do it. We grew up without ANY of these games, and we PLAYED outside! We used our imaginations and we played with our cousins and friends and others.

Apparently, also, there is more than one Pokemon DS game...who knew?! He only asked for 4 things, and I heard him telling someone that he didn't get the PS3 or a new Pokemon game, but it was ok. I asked him about the Pokemon, and that's when we found out there were multiple versions. He did get Woody and Buzz Light Year talking toys, as well as an assortment of other toys. We also got him the Mario Karts, a go-kart game for the Wii, that you can actually play with others outside of your home, including some of his out-of-town cousins.

Chris was so excited about Christmas, he kept a daily countdown. He has a custom-made Advent Calendar (proudly, it took 1st place in the St. Mary's and Calvert County Fairs this past fall) that we put goodies in for each day of the countdown. He used it every day, but didn't eat all of the goodies from each pocket. Looks like next year he'll be ready to have a new assortment of treats, including movie tickets, coins, and other fun items.

He's starting to ask more questions about Santa Claus and what's "real" and what's not. He's convinced that Papa is Santa, because he "looks like Santa" so we ask him where the suit, beard and sleigh would be, and he says it's magic.

Over the years, Santa has always paid a personal visit to Chris, in different settings and situations. When he was little, it was so easy. As he's grown, Santa has had to be a little more careful. When we lived in Albuquerque, Santa would always go to the nursing home, when our friend Gina would let her piano students perform a recital for the residents. He was quite the hit! One year, a little girl saw him walking down the hall and she kept following him until she got his attention...then she told him what she wanted and walked away quite content and smiling. I think she was about 4 years old.

Last year, Santa came by our place in the snow, and rang his bell from out by the Snowman. Chris didn't have any shoes on, so I had to carry him outside. He was pretty happy about that visit. This year...we had to be more careful.

So, after dropping the boys off at my sister's house, we headed to the storage unit to get his boots and change. When we were driving back to the house, we passed an SUV of 5 high school teen boys from the local high school. We both recognized all of them, but their names blanked on us until after it was all over. They were yelling and laughing and calling out to Santa, saying they had all been good boys, and what was he going to bring them. Santa yelled back, and it was quite fun. Imagine what they would have said if he had called out their names. So close! One was Javonte, not a common name. That would have freaked them out!

Part of our new tradition is to visit the young ones of some friends. This year, Papa Santa paid a neighborly visit to a 3- and 5-yr old of friends of ours, and they were quite surprised and excited. Last year, they were scared and not sure what to do. This time...they were expecting him! It was a fun visit for all of them.

When done at Quarter and Zowey's house, he made an extra stop at Aunt Becky's house. He got out of the car, ran down the street and banged on the front door. Then, he opened the door, stuck his head in and gave a boisterous "Ho, Ho, Ho!"... and then ran away! He and Mama Claus were smart, so they thought, and had called ahead to request that all the boys (Chris and his cousins, Nathan and Scotty) ALL had their shoes OFF for Santa's visit. You know, Santa isn't so young anymore, and he was prepared to run away fast. Well, we all did our parts, including Aunt Becky.

But then...the neighbors saw Santa running and they said, "Hey, Santa! Can you do that for our daughter?" What could he say? He said yes, and then there he was...on their front porch, next door to the house where the boys were all playing so quietly and innocently. Next to where these same boys were all frantically looking for their boot and coats, and, apparently, a bat, bb gun, and Wii controller, to go outside and search for this Santa!

Santa, in the meantime, was talking to little 3-yr old Elaina, while she sat on his lap and her parents took pictures. The clock was ticking. Tick Tock, TICK TOCK!!! His get-away ride was waiting around the corner, to prevent any sort of recognition by the clever and quick boys, and the driver was on the phone with Aunt Becky...both wondering where the heck Santa had gotten to. Next thing I knew, the boys were on the loose, and then Santa was on the run! He made it to the car just in time, before the boys made it around the corner. They drove away laughing true belly laughs, while Santa had to attempt to get his breath back. When Aunt Becky called us, while we were "shopping" several miles away, the boys demanded evidence that we weren't around. She had told them she was talking to Uncle Charlie, and they seemed content that we weren't around. Too funny.

That's a tradition that will keep evolving. As soon as I can find the right material, I'm going to make him an old-fashioned/traditional Santa Suit, and get him a much better beard. Then, a Mrs. Claus suit for Mommy. When Chris is old enough, he'll become one of the elves, for as long as he wants to play.

We also tell Christopher about the Baby Jesus and we have nativity sets in our house, including in his bedroom. More then anything, he is taught the spirituality of the Meaning of Christmas, in taking care of others, in loving others, and in doing the right thing. He has a big heart, and I love to watch as he changes with each year and each Christmas.

And with that, Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Love and Peace to All of You