What a great Grinchy trick. With this coat and this hat, I'll look just like Saint Nick!

I want to blog about Christmas even less than I want to blog about doing the hundred yard hurdle at the supermarket. But since I've already crossed one line... Well, what the hell.

I'm a bit confused on the topic of Santa. And I kind of need to talk this out. (In other words: Brace yourself, this is gonna suck out your will to live.)

Between Mall Santas, in-store Santas, Kindy Christmas Party Santas, Playcentre Christmas Party Santas, Animates 'bring your pet in for a Christmas photo' Santas and that other fella who's meant to be stuffing himself down our non-existent chimney on Christmas Eve, I'm feeling a wee bit disillusioned. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if this big jolly fat man is real at all, or if he's just a story my parents cooked up to force me into compliance for a few weeks out of every year?

I've discussed this matter with the kids, and they've reassured me that yes, Santa is real and yes, I will wake on Christmas morning to find my hearts desire gift wrapped at the foot of the Christmas tree. In fact, the Lily Bug is absolutely positive of this, as she had a wee chat with Santa at the Kindy party, and he promised her yes, yes he will be bringing her that great big Tyrannosaurus from Dinosaur Train.  That was a relief for our wee girl, especially as we'd told her maybe Santa was all out of stock on Interactive Boris.  Thank you Santa! Turns out she won't have to settle for a dinosaur book and a collection of small plastic dinosaurs after all!

I'm still skeptical though, especially when I was under the impression that there's only ONE Father Christmas, and yet, all the ones I've seen so far look different... In fact, I still remember the Santa of Farmers Westgate 2009 who was YOUNG and HOT! Pfft! That threw one Santa myth right out the window...

They're all Santa's helpers, I overheard one mother say to a child who appeared as confoogled by this as me. Okay, well that's... that's believable.... I guess...

Well anyway, this evening we're going to the Playcentre Christmas Party, and there we're going to see Santa again! And he's going to be giving the kids a small present each! Which is fantastic, because I thought he only came along once a year to dish out presents! That's another Santa myth blown away!

*sigh* 

Okay okay I know... I'm the Grinch who stuffed Christmas in a sack and hiffed it into the river. Though regardless of how I may sound right now, I do enjoy Christmas and I can't wait to see the expressions of my kids as they open their presents and then tear around the house for the rest of the day on a candy-cane fueled sugar high. I'm just a wee bit out of sorts with all these Santas.

But I am thankful that the Lily Bug didn't ask the Kindy Santa for a real live winged unicorn. No idea where we'd he'd find the right kind of magic spell for one of those. ;)

And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."