Christmas Week

Today (Christmas Eve).

My husband to my 10-year-old daughter: Which Christmas movie do you want to watch first: Die Hard or Muppets Christmas?

Zoe: Die Hard.

That’s my girl. I am among those who agree that Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie. It even has Christmas music on its soundtrack. But that doesn’t mean I can’t also enjoy a classic with “cheeses for [the] meeses.”

Earlier this week, my in-laws visited so Grandma could make cookies with Zoe. They made a huge batch of sugar cookies in various shapes (both regular-sized and small). A batch of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies. Then finally a batch of regular chocolate chip cookies. After informing my daughter that I had eaten a couple of the chocolate chip cookies, Zoe told me I couldn’t have any more because she made them special for Dad. I will now have to resort to the oatmeal chocolate chip ones. Luckily, they are just as delicious as the regular chocolate chip cookies.

After the grandparents left, Zoe and I spent part of an afternoon frosting the sugar cookies. We had food dye for a few different colors of frosting and assorted piping tips. However, unless you use the super small piping tips, the icing comes out quite…plentiful. While they are beautifully decorated with love, the cookies may have ended up quite a bit sweeter than intended. Luckily, Zoe has several friends on our block and, after setting aside some of the regular-sized cookies for Santa, delivered the rest of them to her friends.

Incidentally, the day after the cookies were made, we found our new Christmas Scout Elf, Rosanna, sitting in the kitchen holding a sugar cookie with a tiny bite taken out of it. Zoe then had the brilliant idea that all of the miniature cookies should be wrapped in a care package for Santa to deliver to the elves. I also had to buy candy-canes and carrots for the reindeer so they would have enough energy to make it through the night.

My munchkin then told me that she wanted to make sure that both Santa and Mrs. Claus received presents as well. From us. This led to a shopping outing where we bought a plaid apron for Mrs. Claus and a candy-cane striped travel mug for Santa. Zoe has already wrapped and placed them near our stockings, along with two hand-written notes rolled up like scrolls for Santa and Rosanna. Instead of putting the presents under the tree, we have laid them out in our spare bedroom where they are safe from the curiosity, toothmarks, drool, and any other bodily fluids our two Rottweilers might feel like contributing to the pile. Did I mention the fur-babies also have their own stockings?

Zoe is at the age of not believing. However, her faith was slightly renewed after she mailed her letter to Santa and received a reply from the North Pole a few days later. I think Rosanna helped bring a little magic to the house as well and I am a little sad that today is her last day before she has to go back to the North Pole until next December. Meanwhile, we shall enjoy the last of our Christmas week being off work together as a family and (hopefully) not eating all of the remaining cookies in one sitting…and probably finishing a Die Hard marathon. Merry Christmas!