I Believe in Santa Claus!!!!!!!

Happiness...... It's all around us this time of year > Kid's picking out their toys > the ceaseless commercials that are aimed directly at them > the stores with their pseudo sales and marketing ploys..

All implying that to make your family happy YOU MUST BUY THEM!!!

Which brings me to the story of "Blip".

Wanna hear about it? Of course you do!! Here I go:

"Blip" was MY:

Official-Red-Ryder-Carbine-Action-Two-Hundred-Shot-Range-Model-Air-Rifle!

I had to have one. I needed to feel the ultra advanced electronic marvel that was the "Blip" in my tiny fingers. I ate, drank, slept and drooled the "Blip". It would be mine.


"I really wanted a "Blip" instead!!!!

The commercials showed an awesome electronic toy that sang a happy "blip, blip, blip, blip" ditty and had beautiful popular kids in awe. I ran around singing that song and the praises of "Blip" to everyone I knew, surely someone would take the bait. Big brown eyes, pouty lips and an angelic voice could not fail me now! For months and months this went on until the day my precious "Blip" arrived.

The angels were singing and shining a heavenly light on the package. I knew it contained my treasure. I almost hesitated opening it because the moment was soooo sweet. I delicately lifted the paper off and there she was:


Blip, Blip, Blip, Blip!!!!! --EVERYBODY SING!!!!!!!--

There were a lot of important tid-bits missing from "Blip" advertising. It was not electronic. In reality you had to wind the "Blip" up (WHAT THE HALIBUT????). Had I been the savvy purchaser that I am now I would have noticed the "wind up timer". When you did wind the beast up it made this horrendous grinding buzzer type noise (similar to chalk board scratching or Styrofoam cracking). Your goal was to take the "mechanical" not "electronic" red sort of glowing dot/ball thingy and "guess" to which of the paddles it would go. I cried within the first 5 minutes of receiving it. It was my "big" gift. There was nothing more to live for.

I laugh about it now, but as a kid your brain overloads with sadness (being a girl didn't help). I truly feel Ralphie's pain!!!!

And then there was the other extreme:

One Christmas I got a fancy smancy Revlon make-up kit. OMG!!!!!!! It was the most wonderful thing I had EVER seen and fueled my love of the cosmetic world. It was enveloped in a beautiful flowered tin. I opened it approximately 1,752,356 times! It had a mirror and gloss and lipstick and blush and eyeshadow and velvet pockets and applicators and nail polish and I, I, I,,,,,,,,,, I LOVED IT!!!!!! And no other gift mattered.

"In the future, I will be
addicted to mascara, but my
teeth will be in better proportion
to my head!!"

The Make-up Christmas experience was sooooooo much better than the "Blip" Christmas experience!!!! BUT....... I loved my parents the same through both, and enjoyed each holiday. I was not scarred for life by the "Blip" (of course now seeing it again, I may have a bad dream or two) , nor did the make-up box set me up for grandeur in life (but it did cause a sparkle fetish).

I want to GIVE MEMORIES like those to my kids. The ones you talk about for years and laugh about in front of their new loves. It's these special times that really matter!!! I know that last years "falling Angel torso" episode will certainly be a topic for holiday discussion for many years to come.

So how will I do it this year? I am not sure, but some how I will!!!

I must admit it is nice to get presents, I haven't gotten one since 1902, but I think it was fun the last time I did. These days you hear children gushing about what they are going to get and then trying to one-up each other's gift lists left and right. Then after the holiday the one-upping of actually received gifts starts (harsh for a kid who gets a meager present return, I lived that one many a year). I am sad that I can't provide many frivolous things for kid's right now. I direct my funds to the necessities and pray they cover them (it seldom does, sigh). I do enjoy spoiling my children when I have the opportunity, I just have not had it in recent times.

My oldest understands the Christmas deal. She has came up to me for years and softly told me to buy her siblings presents, and that "she knows". That makes me want to cry each year, that's a sweet kid I got (see, crazy raises good kids, neener, neener, neener-----unless she is duping me for a better present turn out,, nah,, hmmmmm)!!

The other two don't know "the secret" yet. Hoover is still young enough that he has never seen a room full of gifts but the commercials have just started to reel him in. DramaGirl is still a believer at age 9, and I love that about her. I do feel she is a little old to still believe (hopefully she's not duping me for a better present turn out,, nah,, hmmmmm). That childlike spirit needs to be maintained as long as possible. I will do whatever it takes to nurture imagination and wonder in my children.

Adult life needs more sparkles, magic dust and happily ever afters. Allow me to sprinkle some big ole' sappy Christmas sparkles on this post for you.

Yes I do believe. Do you?

I believe in Santa Claus.

I believe that whatever I come up with will be spectacular to my kids.

I believe that my children will love me no matter what's under the tree.

I believe the true spirit of Christmas and the reason behind it, will be evident and cherished in my house.

I believe that it is very important (no matter how financially tight we are) for us to pick a charity together and donate what we can.

I believe that there are families out there in rougher situations and I pray that they find a way to stay positive.

I believe better times are coming for all who DO believe.

I believe my prayers are being heard AND being worked on, and so are yours.

I believe in spiked eggnog and loooong peppermint kisses (sorry, I forgot I was being serious for a moment, carry on).

I believe you should SAVE a puppy not BUY one.

I believe my PT Cruiser is better as a reindeer than a vehicle (see exhibit A below) .


Exhibit A









I believe you should stop and sing with the Salvation Army bell ringers (a lot of them are in a tough spot and yet they smile everyday).

I believe it's OK to re-gift that SNUGGIE and Chia Pet Head (but not the fruitcake, that's just rude).

I believe that my intelligent children may just be duping me for a better present turn out????!!!

I believe in all of us.

I believe I am done with this serious post.

Note: If you add what you "believe" to my comments it will make me smile!!!!!!