some stuff we got for christmas

• a wii
• buffy season 1
• new kitchen scales
• wii remote
• pizza stone
• lots of lego
• blokus 3d game
• bath sheet
• nice little dip dishes
• biscuits
• chocolates (x3)
• lollies (x2)
• paints, easel, canvases
• doctor who dvd
• money that I'll buy some books with
• 39 clues books
• cap gun

some things I hate about christmas night tv

• elves
• reindeer
• santas
• children
• ice
• stupid stupid sentimental songs that play during the closing credits.

Can we move on now?

It's nearly christmas...

... so where are all the anti-Santa posts that I love to hate?

Come on bloggers! Bring out your capital letters and Santa/Satan paranoia! Do not waste this opportunity!

[For real fundy-fun, click here!]

A special christmas high-five to the commenter who can find the most amusing anti-santa link.



This one might win if it wasn't so drawn out. The Carmina Burana music is a nice touch.

advent calender

I made these with a year 7 class on Monday. Fairly simple. 25 little origami pockets stuck on a piece of cardboard and decorated. Teachers - suitable for year 5-7, most kids had finished in 90 minutes.

happy christmas!

Hope you have a lovely day and don't waste too much of it reading blogs.

I'm off to my parents' on the gold coast for a couple of days, then back into things for a few days, then off to Fiji and NZ. Life's tough.

Thanks for dropping by,
love in blogdom.

simone
xo

what does santa add?

In the comments for my Santa post below ('Is Santa a LIE?') Dan asked quite a useful question -

"What does Santa add? How does he help us to remember and celebrate (to reference an Australian songwriter) 'our God come near'?"

Any ideas?

Is Santa a 'lie'?

I don't think so. I think he's a game that grown ups play at christmas time with little kids. Santa's an imaginary seasonal character. A fairy tale. A mystery.

I don't see any problems with parents telling their little kids stories about Santa. I don't see any issues with adults pretending that Santa is real. I think its good for parents to be a bit evasive when asked if Santa really exists. Here's a few responses we've given to the question 'Is Santa real':

• what do you think?
• you've seen him in shops haven't you?
• He looked pretty real to me when I saw him in myer last week!
• and again... Hmmm. What do you think?

Kids are pretty good at sorting out fact from fiction. If parents are reasonable and don't get passionate and dogmatically positive about Santa's existence, most kids will have worked it out by the time they hit school. And have had fun with the fairy tale while they were little.

Let's not sweat it. Let's not bring out our capital letters and call it a LIE. In christian families where the bible is regularly read, there is no chance of long term Jesus and Santa confusion.