Ainsley got a chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, although she informed me afterward that she could tell they were fakes.
I helped out at Joey's class party, which was simple but fun. The kids each brought a $1 gift that was gender-neutral, and they played the white elephant game while I made scones. There was also a hot-chocolate bar. The gift Joey brought (a can of Pringles) was the biggest hit, and he scored one that was clearly more than one dollar—a gumball machine.
Rob came home early and told me he'd invited his parents and Matt & Anne over to watch the bowl game, which was great, but involved an emergency house cleaning. The game was a disappointment, but the company wasn't.
And last, but certainly not least, was this pleasant surprise when we went to bed.
Ellie's fabulous primary teachers gave her a story about a family that tries to restore the Christmas spirit in their family by drawing names and doing secret service the week before Christmas. Each time someone does a service they put a piece of straw in the manger for Jesus. We decided to give it a try, and check out the turndown service! It has been great to see all the service, not even always for the specified person, since most of us want to throw off suspicion. Ainsley is especially into it, and loves to tell me all the things she's done for everyone. This is definitely a tradition we'll carry on. We might need to do this on a regular basis, not just at Christmas.
