Advent

This year I decided to try to celebrate Advent with Tate.  At his little school (which is at a Lutheran church here in our neighborhood) the focus is definitely on Christ and His amazing birth story.  Tate comes home everyday talking about how it's almost Jesus' birthday.  I am beyond pleased that he is so taken with the story and the meaning of Christmas.


That's not to say I'm not pushing the idea of Santa Claus.  We've already taken a picture with Santa!  Our tree is up, the decorations are about halfway done inside the house and I'll tackle the rest and outside this weekend hopefully.  I'm also really pushing the idea that Tate is going to give his pacifiers to Santa Claus for him to take to all the babies in the world who need them.  He's not too thrilled with this turn of events, but I talk about it everyday.  As he seems to be developing a unilateral cross-bite as well as an open bite it is way past time to get rid of the pacifiers for his health and proper development.

So, Advent.  I opted not to do a calendar with candy or anything of that sort.  After reading last year about a fellow SMC's way of celebrating ... see 'This May Be A Dream Come True' in my blog roll ... I decided to do it her way.  That way is having Tate open a new book every day of Advent (for us every day of December).  This year every book is about Christmas be it the story of Jesus or Elmo or Santa.  I was so excited.  I decorated a basket, got the books all wrapped (I'm waiting for the final 5 to arrive from Amazon) and put the basket upstairs on my fainting couch for Tate tonight after his bath.  He was beyond thrilled about the idea of opening presents.  Note the word presentS.  I got him all dressed in a pair of Christmas pajamas, lovey and pacifier in hand and told him to pick a present.  He was thrilled to open it....which makes me so very happy because I now know he is definitely going to have a blast opening gifts on Christmas morning.  However, he was not at all happy to learn he was going to only open one, AND the one he picked did nothing for him.  It is a beautiful Christian book with no funny characters, no pop-ups, no bright colors.  It is a biblical rendition of the birth of Jesus written in very toddler friendly terms AND Santa has a tiny role.  It's 'My Christmas Gift' by Crystal Bowman (an absolutely beautiful story about the ultimate Christmas gift)

He didn't even want me to read it to him.  Of course as usual I had my preconceived idea about how these nights of Advent would go.  He'd pick a book, we'd ooh and ahh over it, sit in the rocking chair with only the nightlight on and read the books each night.  


Nope.  No.  Nada.  Nyet.  No way Jose.  Not happening.  He cried and fussed and hopped down and went to sit in the rocking chair with 'Pajama Time.'  So I read the book out loud anyway then scooped him and rocked him to sleep as he hiccuped.  


I hope he picks one of the ever commercial, character driven, ridiculously bright Elmo Christmas books tomorrow night.....