Traditions - Full Long Nights Month of December

It is back to the usual school routine today and I think our cat is happy to have some order again with a regular bedtime, early rise time for the boys and a window seat to watch the long winter's night turn into day.

I have just put in a load of my laundry (after a full day of boys' laundry) into the machine and my week's worth consisted of pajama bottoms, lounge pants, yoga pants, more pajama bottoms, about 13 pairs of bright, fuzzy socks, and a sweater from our one night out this month on a date.

It's been a month of keeping up a 16-year tradition, ending traditions and something new due to the sheer force of boys getting older, and an unwelcome tradition that I hope goes away.

In November, around the dinner table, we start to tell the boys that a visit to Santa at the mall is being planned.  As usual. 

My incentive is I treasure the photos.  A negative aspect of me is that I don't take many photos of the boys.  Or any of us.  We got a cat in August and the shelter had asked if we could get a family photo and send it in and I wanted to but I never did.   

The boys are highly motivated by new clothes at some of the stores, and food--they know our tradition is to get up and be at the mall one hour before Santa arrives so we are first in line, get the photo taken, see their mom and dad laugh and smile, then shop for clothes and a skate board and then have a yummy lunch together.

One of Oldest's friends had pictures taken of him for fun and put it on Facebook so maybe the boys don't think we are too crazy. We did notice the little kids in line after us were staring at the boys.  Santa was wonderful as usual and I asked if this year we could take a photo of them standing rather than sitting and after that Santa chose this pose--he does a good job of lecturing them.  We wondered if Middle son, who is now over 5'10" would be taller than Santa but right away Son said, "No, this is a tall Santa."

This was December 20th and it was my first official Vacation Day off work since the end of June.  And not to cloud my post or my memory but the reality is that there were several work crisis's the day before (and all month) and I had to send emails at 7:30 am and check emails at lunch in the bathroom.  And then make calls after we got at home.  I am already planning a day off in January after things settle down. 

(Santa 2011)
We still plan on coming back to do the Santa picture next year, as a tradition that started when Oldest was six months old.  We didn't have decorated Christmas cookies made until the night of the 25th.  We never drove around looking at houses lit up (but Hubs still puts old school colored lights on our house).  We still get our tree from Home Depot on the last day of November.  We still have our own Thanksgiving full-blown turkey meal the weekend after Thanksgiving to help us calm down from (this year's especially trying) Thanksgiving in Florida.  We still have prime rib with candle light on Christmas Eve and ham and buffet foods on Christmas day, at home, in pajamas with the 5 of us.

(Santa 2010)