Merry Christmas, 2018
Merry Christmas to all!
Yesterday, Xavier grew concerned we would miss Christmas, confusing Christmas Eve, night time and Christmas Day. Fortunately, the Advent chain we built on December 1st helped assuage his concern. It had one link left: Christmas Day.
Xavier grew more excited as the day moved toward evening. At some point he figured we would be opening presents on Christmas Eve.
Instead, we attended church to worship the One whose birth we celebrate.
When we returned home, I told Xavier how as a boy my sister and I would leave Santa a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.
Xavier liked that idea! He prepared a plate of gingerbread cookies and a glass of almond milk (it's all we had in the house). This morning, Xavier found the milk glass empty and a few crumbs on the plate. Under the plate Santa left a thank you note.
The empty glass and plate revved Xavier's excitement to somewhere north of ecstatic.
With Xavier finding gifts wrapped in gold paper which had not been under tree the night before, we let him go for his stockings (he had two).
Shortly after, we called Grandma Penny so she could hear him open her gift: an erector set featuring cams and pulleys.
After, we got Grandpa Danny on the phone. Xavier opened the first of his two gifts. He started out slow in the unwrapping, but as he saw what the package held, he stripped the paper off vivaciously.
The RC truck struck a chord with Xavier, it had to be played with immediately. Grandpa Danny's second gift (a thoughtful bug zoo container which Xavier and I have looked for last summer, but never found) was eclipsed by the need to load the RC truck with batteries.
Next on the phone (Skype worked for us this year), Aunt Kathy sent a soccer ball and some books.
The soccer ball is welcomed; we've been playing with a slightly deflated ball bough at a supermarket.
Aunt Chelle arrived, and all the rest of the gifts, including those brought by Santa, became Xavier's targets.
Santa supplied one of Xavier's favorite movies: Mouse Hunt. Also, a "really big present" of Lego.
It would be Aunt Chelle's gift (so far; we've got guest coming in a few hours) that has won Xavier's heart.
A Lego Minecraft set. Need I type more?
Xavier wanted to build the set immediately, but we said not until the paper mess was cleaned up. Xavier had the room cleared in minutes.
Christ is Born!
Polar Express
Greetings to all.
Today is the first day of Christmas Break for Xavier. Several weeks ago, Rebecca planned a train ride to Santa's Village, and today was that day (not-so-coincidentally planned).
The train left from the Sante Fe Station in Canyon City and went half way through the Royal Gorge. They served lunch, hot chocolate, cookies—and you could dress in your pajamas.
One of Xavier's Christmas presents this year is a robe and slippers (he always complains about being cold in the mornings). We let him open this gift early so he would have them to wear on the train.
The drive down took two hours, but we arrived on time. We picked up our tickets from the will-call box and boarded the Narrow Gauge.
We paid a little more a ticket to get the Club Car as we thought it would afford us better views.
Xavier was excited to be on the train: it was his first train trip. He kept asking as we sat waiting on the train, "When is it starting, Daddy?"
After the train left the station, it moved at a languid pace. Xavier's question turned to "When is it going to move faster, Daddy?"
Though we had a poor view of the Arkansas River, we were well seated to see Santa's Village. Even so, we left the Club Car and found an open-air car to view the Village from.
The train stopped at the Village and Santa boarded the train. Once more under way, Santa visited each car, bringing gifts.
Those gifts were sleigh bells from the harnesses of his reindeer sleigh team. Xavier got one of Cupid's bells.
These bells must be the genuine article, they were slightly tarnished and real brass.
Xavier jingled his bell as the car sang Jingle Bells. He played several games with other children on the car. Then an elf came through and ushered us to where Santa was sitting.
Xavier sat on Santa's lap and provided him with his Christmas wish. Not surprisingly, it was consistent with the request he gave the Ace Santa two weeks ago.
Xavier asked for a "really big present."
After, Rebecca and I posed with Xavier and Santa. Gotta say, Santa is a short person and I had little room, even to squat down.
Lighting the Advent Candles
Greetings to all.
The last Sunday in November we were asked if we as a family wanted to light the Advent Wreath at one of the services. We checked our calendar and agreed on the 16th.
This was the nudge I needed. I have been wanting to get Xavier some formal attire for occasions such as this. Also, Xavier has a formal school Christmas program this coming Tuesday which asks for Sunday best attire.
This past Saturday, Xavier and I planned on shipping a box of gifts to his Aunt Kathy, hitting the stores for him to shop for Mom's birthday gift and to pick out a card.
Also on my agenda was hunting for nice formal attire for him.
Before leaving, we asked Rebecca if she wanted to come along, or would she enjoy some alone time. She chose family time. We hopped into the car and headed out. Of course, this nixed the shopping for birthday gifts and cards part of the plan.
It was nice to have Rebecca along, and more fun. Plus, she knew the places to shop for children's clothes (I had zero idea what stores to shop or where those stores might be).
We found a shirt, vest and bow tie quickly. After purchasing these, we found dress shoes in the first shoe store we visited.
Sunday morning, and wow! Xavier looks good in formal wear.
So, at church, all of use gussied up, we walked to the altar as part of the procession. Xavier and Rebecca in their Santa hats lit the candles while I read the Scripture.
After the service, we had the Ogden Family Christmas photo taken by a friend.
A Santa Surprise
Hello to all, and Ho-Ho-Ho.
Last Saturday, Xavier wanted to hang some lights outside along our patio.
That required some small hooks which we did not have. So, off to Ace Hardware we went.
As we walked in, an Ace lady greeted us and asked if Xavier wanted to make a decoration. They had a table laid out with all manner of stickers, glitter glue, colorful pipe cleaners, markers, paints.
Well, of course Xavier wanted to make a decoration!
Shortly after that, surprise! Santa appeared. He helped Xavier with his decorating and even let Xavier jingle his rope of bells. (He told me how like his own son Xavier was—who knew Santa had children, right?).
Had I known Santa would be there, I would have dressed Xavier better.
Advent 2018
Hello to you all.
About a month ago, while Rebecca was out of town, Xavier and I trolled Costco. There we discovered an Advent calendar that dispensed small Lego kits in each window.
Of course, we had to buy it.
This past Saturday we opened the first window. It was a little space shuttle composed of fourteen or so parts. Its surprises have so far been interesting and unexpected.
We also picked up a book that has twenty-four Advent stories. We read one story before opening a window. We try to engage Xavier in a discussion about the story, but that is often difficult when his focus turns to what surprise opening the window will reveal.
Christmas Cookies
Greetings to all.
Xavier, his exuberance for Christmas unabated, decided he wanted to bake Christmas cookies today. Where he came up with that idea I don't know. He brought it up out of the blue.
I thought this was a wonderful idea. I have fond memories of pressing and decorating cookies at Christmas.
After breakfast and church, Xavier had not forgotten. Rebecca is out of town this weekend, and I had no idea where any ingredients for cookies might be found (Rebecca keeps cooking supplies which are strange to me).
Xavier and I poked around. We found the cookie press my mother owned and the holiday dies germane to Christmas. We even found the recipes for the cookie dough with the press.
Amazingly, we found sugar, and after much searching some flour I understood how to use. There would be no trip to the store. Yippee!
Xavier and I bravely figured out how to use the Kitchen Aid mixer and whipped up enough dough for about 48 cookies. While the mixer turned the dough, we brought out of storage the sprinkles, red-hots and other decorative candies needed for cookies.
We made trees, wreathes and camels. We ran out of dough before we could make stars.
Xavier pressed the cookies onto the sheet while I held the press so it did not slide around. We made a good team.
Advent, Xavier Style
Greetings to everyone.
Xavier has really got into the Christmas Spirit this year. His excitement makes his previous years of interest seem dull.
He wanted to set up the tree after Thanksgiving (on Thanksgiving had we allowed it). Alas, our room where the tree stands was filled with his furniture: crib/day bed and dresser, plus a few other items we intend for consignment or Good Will.
So, we waited a week. The furniture was picked up by a consignment company and the room opened for us to decorate. We needed to decorate Thursday as Rebecca headed north to Cheyenne in the wee-early hours Friday.
One of the first things Xavier found as I hauled the boxes from under the stairs to the parlor was his Santa Clause hat. This year it actually fit his head rather than swallow it whole. It's been on his head nearly 24x7 since; he even went to bed with it on the first night.
We got as far as we could with the tree, but Xavier remained unsatisfied. He plugged the lights still in the boxes in. Every time I walked passed (or tripped) over the cords, I unplugged them, only to find them plugged in again shortly thereafter.
We've experienced some technical difficulties with the tree this year (it's a pre-lit tree), and it was looking grim that it would light back up without replacing the LED sequencer or the tree itself.
After some tinkering (and perhaps Xavier's zealous hopes), we got a Christmas Miracle and the tree is once more lit up. Rather than tempt Murphy, we have left the tree lit 7x24, matching Xavier's exuberance.