the Santa party

Every year our dear friends, The Reilley's, invited us over for their annual Santa Party. It started as a get together for the daycare kids and their parents--maybe about 6-10 families. Over the years, the Reilley's have grown this event (yes-I've said it...it's an EVENT) to include other of their friends, family and of course now that our kids our older....school-aged friends and their families. It's an event that we look forward to every year and really is a permanent part of getting our Christmas on!
  This year was no exception.  Here's the drill. The adults all plan to bring some sort of appetizer or dessert. This is great because then Katie and Rob do not have any cooking to do. They can circulate and chat, snack and visit with everyone. As it should be! While Katie and Rob also have beverages out to share, the adults usually bring a little "cheer" along with them to share with others.
  As for the kids, Katie thought ahead about this too. Happy kids mean happy adults. We feed them first with some fun pasta, fresh fruit, crackers, chicken strips, and a juice box. They are happy, fed, and they move on to play with each other. This frees up the adults to enjoy their adult beverage of choice, and catch up with each other. This year the first chat I walked into was a very intense conversation about tech options in our homes. Bundling, cable, Dish, wireless, streaming, home phone/no home phone, ....it was really something.
  Anyway, the kids play, the adults play, everyone eats. Just a note...there was a moment of silence held this year as our friends, the Sears family, were unable to be with us due to sick kiddos.. We missed them...and their Cookie Crumbs cookies. Actually, it was unusual for us this year too as Lucy was saying she didn't feel well either. No fever, vomiting or ANY symptoms at all, just tired...so we went because it's tradition. Mistake! She was asleep on Daddy before Santa even showed up. Wait, I didn't talk about Santa yet! It's a Santa party....so......
   Katie's dad, Bob, is Santa. He has the beard and the belly and the bag. We all sneak a wrapped gift for our kids into the Santa bag hidden in the garage, and Santa makes his appearance every year to pass out presents that make our children smile. Even though Lucy was tired and cuddled up with Mark on the sofa, she was the FIRST to see Santa. She spied him peeking through the window and her eyes have never been bigger!! She was so excited and sat straight up "Look! It's Santa!! He's really here! Daddy! Mama! Santa!" Priceless reaction that only someone so young and believing can have. I wish I could bottle that innocence and bring it out when I needed to feel great about the world again.  Santa comes in  ringing his bells and the kids go cuckoo! They surrounded him at his feet and we all laughed at how perfectly still, quiet, on their bottoms, angelic they all were waiting for Santa to speak. Awesome. Every year Santa greets the children and before he does any presents he asks the kids to sing a song with him. I think this is my favorite part. They all believe for that moment, even the bigger kids who may have questions in their heads about him being "real", they all love this moment, and it's pure Christmas. Thanks Mr. Praeger!
   Of course, this moment is shaken up a bit later as Santa has passed out all of his gifts and he's counting down to allow them to rip the paper open!  An interesting thing happened this year. Adam will be 9 years old in just a couple of weeks. He's on the border of whether he believes or not, hearing stories on the playground, bus and lunchroom. He hasn't quite asked us yet if Santa is real. When he does, I plan to share this letter I found as I feel it really says what I want him to know. Santa passed out all the gifts and asked if everyone had a gift. Adam started looking around and then realized that he DIDN'T have a gift. He looked quickly around and Santa was starting to count...he had a bit of shock, and hurt, and "oh no" on his face as he turned to look at me. Of course, I asked Santa if he could look in his bag again and of course there was  gift for Adam there way at the bottom. He thanked Santa then turned to me and said " I was nervous there for a minute, I thought I wasn't getting a gift. That meant I was too naughty this year!"  We left soon after to take Lucy home to bed. In the car on the way home Mark asked him about that moment. He said, "Dad, at first I was really sad and thought Santa wasn't going to give me anything. After he gave me my present I realized something. The elves made MY gift first. First gift IN the bag, last gift OUT of the bag. I was just at the TOP of the list this year...not the bottom!"
   And in truth, that's the best of it.  Last year was so different than this year--for him and for all of us. What a different a year can make. What a difference a DAY can make. Things change and kids grow and people leave us. Babies are born, new friends come into our lives and Santa is there every year--to make our eyes wide and to invite us to sing with him. Thank you Reilley's! Thank you Santa!

Reilley's Santa Party 2010

This year! 2012