Christmas is Coming The Goose is Getting Fat

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!!!  It's hard to believe Christmas is just 9 days away YIKES!  Harder to believe is that the house is decorated, most of the shopping and wrapping is done, the cards are ready to be mailed and all that's left is the baking and candy making.  Of course I'm still sewing and crafting away, but that's par for the course.

I thought I'd share with you the tradition my son and I have every Christmas season starting December 1 through December 24.  This is a Christmas tradition we started when he was in kindergarten.  He believeD in Santa Claus but many of his classmates were all ready expressing their doubts.  I was trying to come up with a way to keep him filled with the spirit of giving as well as still believe in Christmas magic and Santa Claus.

So, while he was at school I ran over to the book store on my lunch break and made a b-line for the Christmas section.  Well, everything was your pretty standard fair, until I came across a book called "The Autobiography of Santa Claus" by Jeff  Guinn.  I read the first couple of pages and knew I was holding gold in my hands.

With this book you read a chapter a night starting the first of December right up to Christmas Eve.  Well, we were all ready 6 days in, I wondered if my little 5 year old Sam would sit through more than one chapter at a time, especially with only a few pictures.  But I shouldn't have worried, at the end of each chapter he kept asking for more, more, more.

This book combines history, magic and the spirit of giving, it's really quite a ride.  I have to say that Sam and I are Ultimate True Believers.  This book has really help instill a goodness and spirit of generosity in him all year, not just the few weeks before Christmas in hopes of more presents.

Not only does this book generate a true Christmas spirit but is also an avenue for learning and trying new things.  It makes one want to learn more about the historical figures who travel with Santa like Leonardo Divinici, Ben Franklin, King Arthur, Attilla the Hun and more.  In fact, every year Leonardo leaves a special present for Sam who is very artistic.

As for trying new things, well that first Christmas that we read Jeff Guinn's book I really didn't see myself running out to the grocery store at 8pm in a mad hunt for goat cheese.  But, somewhere in one of those 24 chapters Santa points out that in addition to cookies and milk he loves goat cheese and would be happy if children left that out for him as well.  So, after setting out the chocolate chip cookies we just baked and a tall glass of milk Sam brought over a small plate of wheat thins to go with Santa's goat cheese.  So off to the store we ran and found the last piece of goat cheese in the store.  My very picky son actually tried it for Santa.  Now if only Jeff Guinn could have said Santa loved vegetable platters maybe Sam would eat something green.

This year we are reading "The Great Santa Search" by Jeff Guinn and it really is quite wonderful.  In honor of Layla or Mrs. Claus as most people know her I've made this warm and cozy scarf that I imagine she'd be wearing while delivering Christmas present around America.

Green Carbon's Mrs. Claus Scarf