It's Tradition

We started our day yesterday with our 14 year consecutive annual Christmas tradition. We took the boys to the mall to take a picture with Santa. Yes, we do indeed have two middle school sons. I know, we are crazy. But we do have a 3rd grader who still expects this.

Especially our 8th grade son has been asking us for weeks if he really has to go visit Santa, and for exactly how many more years? When they are 16? When they are a senior in high school? I have to say Hubs is pretty adamant that as long as they live with us it will be a tradition. I am on the side of the fence that believes as long as Youngest is in elementary school. This means a couple more years. Will we survive? But what would we have done this year--take only the Youngest son?? Noooo.

To top it off, the oldest son was seriously not happy about not being able to sleep in since we were leaving the house at 8:50. It is our tradition to go and get in line about 30 minutes before Santa arrives, which according to the website was to be 10:00 a.m. As it was I got up at the last possible minute, forgot my camera and saw I only managed to get one earring in.

So we get to the mall and we are one of the first waiting and fortunately there were many big chairs and love seats nearby and we sprawled with the Sunday paper. Then I found out that one son had not brushed his teeth in two days because he had strep throat earlier in the week and the nurse instructed him to get a new toothbrush but I had not yet bought him one. Could you have just not swallowed when you brushed, I asked him. Then I looked at his shoes and he was wearing old ones with a hole when he has new, nice skater shoes. And another was wearing some t-shirt--heck he gets more dressed up for school. And another had tufts of hair sticking up. So I was growling about how I suppose I still need to lay out their clothes for them still for events. Then everyone in line was grumbling because Santa was 30 minutes late. In fact, one little boy had a meltdown and the parents took him home a few minutes before he was to get in Santa's lap. We would have probably let Santa deal with him since Santa was late to arrive.

No one had kids as old as ours. I wonder if Santa was surprised at these big boys when we rounded the corner. But Santa did good and made them laugh right away. They may have been laughing at how Santa put our middle son on his knee. Even though the worker elf lady took about 3 more pictures I liked the real laughing one the best.

Our Santa Picture Day continued with us walking all over the mall looking for last minute gifts and then had lunch out. We went to a hibachi restaurant and had a good time. Later that afternoon, back at home we left the boys alone and went back out to browse around Barnes & Noble. I have been lamenting this year that buying gifts for the boys was much easier when they were younger. BUT I must say it is a huge benefit to be able to step out with Hubs and leave them home alone without paying for a babysitter. We even went out alone Friday night alone to shop at Sports Authority.

But then Sunday night the two older boys had a preteen and teen version of a long day/no nap/meltdown. And they were ugly to each other. They were in the next room from me. I was trying to read blogs and write a post of my own and I heard the two oldest going back and forth and it escalated. It made me really mad and I sent them to their rooms. And then Hubs heard about it and he got really mad and told them that they were grounded for the next few days and we'd have the cleanest house around because they'd be doing tons of chores including how to scrub the floors using a rag and a bucket on their hands and knees.

Later I think my Hubs knew I needed to hear about this as being normal because he told me that when he was their age and had three other brothers they fought a lot. It was what they did and it is what brothers do. Maybe if my Hubs weren't around I would get too involved with who said what to who. I am glad that he can relate to what it is like to have brothers and to remember being a kid with two oldest brothers who were competitive.

Today I went to work and they all stayed home and they did indeed clean the kitchen and dining room floors on their hands and knees, and their bathroom floor too. And maybe it was good timing that today was the day for another one of our traditions and that is to take out the boys individually so that they buy a gift (in the $15-$20 range) for each other. They usually do not spend their own money but today we did ask the older two to bring their wallets and spend their own money. O.K. we said they needed to pay for half of it, and they opened their wallets and did.

I am ready for our other family traditions this week and they include driving around various neighborhoods on the 23rd or 24th to check out outdoor lights and decorations and to make cookie cutter cookies for them to decorate. And our tradition on Christmas Day is for me to stay in my pajamas until 3:00 in the afternoon.