Don't Stop Believing!

Don't Stop Believin'
Hold on to that feelin'

bump bump ba dah-dah....

My Brown Eyed Girl and Mr Blue Eyes have been thoroughly enjoying Thomas's visit again this year. Handy Man is a little "over" the whole Thomas experience. I crave the smiles on their faces each morning and the excitement it brings to their little lives this time of year.

He has been visiting several of the old reliable places. But, he has had a few new shenanigans up his sleeves. 

Sometimes I feel like he leaves me subliminal messages...

I am so with you this year Thomas - Cheers!

He's been a little crafty.

My Brown Eyed Girl was a little shocked he left his mess out the next night. On her own, she cleaned up all the Q-tips for Thomas. 

I am loving it Thomas!

He re-visited the Moose the other night. We all got a chuckle when my Brown Eyed Girl said that Thomas was a little stinker this year. 

Well... except for Handy Man. He did not seem to think that Thomas was very funny. He reminded us all that the Moose was supposed to be off limits this Christmas. 

Sure Daddy... right!

Again, he left all of the ornaments out the next night and my Brown Eyed Girl had to help me return them to our tree.

Thomas has been a wonderful reminder of what it means to go out of ones way to bring a smile to someone else. Stoking the spirit inside.

I just had a very, VERY interesting conversation in car on the way home.

My sweet and innocent Brown Eyed Girl just told me that her classroom elf, Buddy, did not return to the class this morning. Her teacher asked the whole class, "Who touched the elf?"

Playing along with shock and surprise, I asked her if someone had touched Buddy. She said she didn't know.

After a small pause, she said, Mommy, some kids in my class don't think Buddy is real. They think he is... fake."

NO! NO! NO! It's too soon to say goodbye to this beautiful innocence. I asked her, "Do you think Buddy is fake? Do you think Thomas is fake?" I glanced in the rear view mirror, Mr Blue Eyes staring out the window but no doubt hearing and understanding every word we exchanged.

I held my breath as she exclaimed, "NO! I told them that he IS real and he DOES have magic and you have to BELIEVE in his Christmas magic or he would never come back."

My heart sung out of my chest with joy. She still believed... believed in the beautiful magic of Christmas and Santa and elves and all that was pure and sweet.

I told her that it was sad that some of those kids in her class didn't believe in Buddy. I am sure Buddy was sad and left her class because some of the kids were not kind to him or said mean things about him not being real - hurt his feelings. I told her I was glad that she talked to me about this in the car before we got home. We agreed that Thomas might have gotten sad too if he thought people didn't believe in elves. 

I told her I thought she was brave for telling a boy in her class that elves are real and they are magical. Because they are magical. They are so very magical my little hearts.

Santa, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny... all of these celestial persons. To me, they are not an inconvenience, a chore. They are smiles, hopes, dreams and laughter. They are magic. The adult word is beautiful... and often very brutal. I just want to hold on to these magical years a little longer.

Just a few more years... please?

Oh... other children are rotten.
We just have to get through one more week of school, exposed to snot-nosed-non-believing-brats who are trying to ruin my child's innocence.

I am just kidding... kind of...