Santa Claus is coming to town! Friday!

Yes, you heard me correctly. As I was driving to work this morning I heard a commercial on the radio that Santa is arriving at our mall this Friday night, November 9. Are you kidding me? Let's slow down people. Halloween came and went and is only a memory. I'm ready to dust off my Bing Crosby White Christmas CD but let's spend the next few weeks anticipating what we are truly thankful for and let's experience the chaos in planning our meal.

I would love to take the kids to all the fun and festivities they have planned for Santa's arrival but not before Thanksgiving. This is a ploy to get us to spend money now and to get our kids to start the begging now. I will not be a part of it. I won't take my kids to the section of the mall where they have Santa set up. Where are all the Advent and Nativity decorations?

Speaking of Thanksgiving, my parents will be coming here for Thanksgiving this year. Stephen and I decided a few years ago that we want to start our own traditions and while we knew some feelings would be hurt about us not going to Fort Worth, we realized with little ones that we can't stress ourselves out to make others happy. Are you with me on this one? How many of you have "been there, done that?" We want to have a nice TG meal which I will prepare (if Mom will let me) and then we'll watch the Cowboys. That's what we always did growing up and I can't wait to watch another game with my dad. Friday we'll anticipate the annual A&M vs t.u. game and we'll crank up the Christmas music while we decorate the house and bake the 100th batch of Chex mix. Then we'll spend the weekend resting and relaxing.

Lauren asks us every day if Grandma is coming. We show her on the calendar how long it will be before Grandma comes and she still wants Grandma to be here now. She talked to my mom Friday night and then asked to call her on Saturday. I always put the phone on speaker but this time Lauren took the phone and walked around the house talking to Grandma for almost an hour. When we hung up she cried and cried because she wanted Grandma to come right away. I called my mom back and let her listen to the saddest little 3 year old. When we hung up the phone we made a countdown chain and explained how we'll take one link off every day and when they're all gone, Grandma will be here. She caught on to that pretty quickly, yesterday she asked if she could tear them all so that Grandma could be here now. It's going to be a long 17 days.