"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus."
New York Sun, 1897
Late Christmas Eve, noticed Kiddo, who is at the age of tottering on the fence of belief, in a flurry of activity. Grabbing cup and plate, rooting around in the fridge, searching for paper and pen, amassing a variety of Christmas hats - our matching Mickey & Minnie Mouse Santa hats, the Green Bay Packers version, the Christmas tree hat we'd picked up at Lynn's Paradise Cafe over Thanksgiving. Final preparations before heading to bed.
Close inspection of the note brought a smile to my face. Not just cookies and milk, but also apples for the reindeer (and an apology that Mom wasn't currently stocking carrots in the fridge). The hats to give Santa a bit of creative ideas.
Santa did seem to enjoy the feast...and left a snowboard for Kiddo, a shovel for Grandma, and treats for all.
Of course the family gifts were beckoning, too. Kiddo did the usual duty of sorting them out. A pile at one end of the couch for Grandma, at the other end for Mom, by a chair for Dad, and of course, another pile for himself. I was charmed by the sight of him wearing the new RoadID Santa had stuffed in his stocking, the Packers hat from his big Sis, the snow goggles from Mom & Dad while playing with the hockey goal light and horn from Uncle Jeff.
I was thrilled with my stash...a perfect set of presents. Books (the best kind: a gardening one, a biking one, and a cooking one) plus a Nook from Hubby, gift cards from Mom, along with the LeCrueset prep bowls I'd fallen in love with over Thanksgiving and an orchid for my new windowed office from kiddo.
But where was kiddo........outside, of course, trying out the snowboard under the watchful eye of Kutya the Wonder Dog. Two days ago the yard was an MTB trail, today a snowboard hill.
Looks like you all had a great Christmas. What gardening book did you get?
ReplyDeleteHey MBT - The gardening book is "The Garden Book for Wisconsin" by Melinda Myers. Nicely done book, originally published in 2004 but "revised". Los of plant profiles - would be good for a new gardener. Nice to page through in the winter!
ReplyDeleteReminded me how I've stopped buying garden books - have tons of them, literally hundreds, but all over 10 years old. Is it the internet that made me stop? Need to think on that. And maybe pull out a few to dream over the pretty pictures over the winter. Tho' my fav garden books are the essay type, Henry Mitchell, Allen Lacy, Anne Lovejoy, Kinda over the how-to garden book.