I love Christmas for many reasons. I love the smells, traditional foods, giving gifts, the remembering the love of our Savior Jesus Christ, and the winter season. Jim and I have tried to make some traditions for our little family amid the Christmas season. Jim did not have many family traditions and we have been very aware that because his mother was not in his life as a child that leaves a different sense for him around the Christmas season. Jim's mom was from Holland so we have incorporated some of the Dutch traditions into our family traditions. Hopefully Benjamin will carry these Christmas traditions forward. We eat Dutch cookies, two thin wafer like cookies pressed between caramel-like filling, so delicious. We have some blue and white Dutch ornaments that we keep in a Dutch bowl on the mantel. We also have several traditional American practices, like setting cookies out for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. This year was the first year that Benjamin had a hard time going to sleep so Santa could come and bring his present and fill his stocking. Jim had been sick and so Santa's helper was left to me. I waited and waited until I thought that Ben had to be asleep. He soon popped his head in the TV room and asked when Santa was coming...I panicked but luckily he didn't see anything that would give me away! I tucked Ben into his bed again, it was about midnight at this point and I was tired! Again I was getting ready to help our Santa and again Ben got up out of bed. I thought the only way he was going to go to sleep was to let him sleep in our bed. He went to sleep, Santa came and then I couldn't sleep! I finally dozed off after 2:30 and before I knew it Ben was up and the day was beginning at 6am. I seriously thought about just sleeping in. What mom sleeps in on Christmas? After all that work who wouldn't want to see the face of their child as they see what Santa brought and open the presents? I hurried up and got out of bed, it was all worth it in the end! We had a wonderful Christmas and Santa did get the items on Ben's list, Ben was pleased! Whew, another year of believing in Santa...next year I'm not so sure that the magic of Santa will be something he still believes in! Maybe I can pull off just one more year of being Santa's helper!
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