Got My Grinch On

Well, after a long weekend, I've got my Grinch on and in a surprising turn of events, I've decided Christmas and all it's clutter...I mean, decor, will in fact happen around here, complete with the insanely expensive wreath on my front door that I justified by being cranky with my big kids.

See said big kids spoiled my fun and I'm not quite done having a mini-hissy about it.

The biggest and best part of the holiday outside of the obvious Jesus being born to save me, is the mystery and surprise. So one of the things I enjoy the most and even sort of look forward to is watching my kids at the break of dawn opening up the packages and seeing their faces delight with surprise.

Won't be having none of that this year.

Big kids.

Entering Grinch mode.

My two big kids decided to snoop.

On Saturday I did the shopping. The whole thing. My kids, extended family, teachers, everyone. I have just a few little gift cards to pick up at the quickie mart and voi la, done!

On Sunday morning, sleepy and satisfied, drinking my coffee, looking at the paper, I suddenly realize my big boys are missing from the scene. Where are they? Just a minute ago they were right here.

They were snooping.

They haven't gone up stairs let alone into my room in months, not since they made the move to the lower level, to the boy cave and now, here they are on Sunday morning, in my room, fingering the packages.

They saw it ALL.

Every last package.

There will be no surprises on Christmas morning for these two and no wonder for me to watch.

Yes. I know. I have options. I do. Right now though, I'm just at a stand still over the whole thing.

In the end, there will probably be some grace shown and some little surprise will still happen, but it will be hard for me to get there.

Perhaps next year I'll be storing my hard found shopping treasures in the neighbors back yard shed. I'm willing to pay a small fee.

All that to say, Christmas will be happening in full force over here. I had already toned down on the carols and had resigned to a simple lit tree but now I'm changing it up. Yesterday I made my trip to the insanely high priced garden store in town and bought a beautiful wreath for my front door. And some bows for my garage lights. And a poinsettia. Mistletoe. OOOO and this neat wall sticky thing that I plan to put on the wall behind the shelf where I'm going to put the manger scene.

The boxes came up from the basement and the star made it to the top of the tree. The figurines are being unwrapped and ornaments have made their way to the tree. The tree skirt is just waiting for me to get the tree back in place in the corner. The every day decor is going in the boxes and the Christmas stuff is taking it's place.

And I've issued one single ultimatum. Every time the big boys mess with the holiday stuff and set that example for the little kids, I return one of the gifts they snooped.

Might be a surprise under that tree after all.

No, I'm not that mean. It won't come out that way in the end, but I still have some of that Grinch on right now.

Maybe the home remedy is more carols and some home made cookies and a gingerbread house. (You know, now that they sell those kits for $10!)

Maybe it's a little bit more mint mocha coffee.

Maybe it's giving in to the paper snowflakes or figuring out how to tape those stupid candles into my windows yet again.

Maybe it's reading through Luke again and again and again...

Merry Grinch-mas!