I love that last pic, where Frank is kinda looking sideways at the Pete while keeping his arm protectively around R's shoulder ... and that St. Nick is sure authentic looking!
I confess to my ongoing goal of breaking my kids of some of the Santa myth. Not that I want them to give up on believing in the magic of it all ... but I do want them to start to understand that they can't, in fact, have everything they want. Because it's hard to afford what they'd like, and they don't get that ~ "But Mom, if we ask Santa, HE can bring it, so you and Daddy don't have to be able to afford it!" Ummmmm .... yeah. Not quite sure how to answer that one yet... .
Oops ... meant to add this: to get them to begin to understand without totally bursting their Santa-believing bubble, this is what I've done. I had Tristan sign us up for the "secret Santa" giving that is done through his allergist's office. We were sent a letter so that we can be Santa to a needy child. So i"ve told the boys about it ... that we need to give without spoiling the secret of it for the boy ... and that what we're doing is being Santa for him, because what, after all, is Santa, besides giving so that someone else can have the fun of receiving? When we talked it through, I could see the wheels turning in their heads. So, like, if WE'RE Santa for a kid who otherwise wouldn't have any gifts ... why doesn't the REAL Santa go there? Oh, wait a minute ... maybe if WE'RE Santa for him, someone else is Santa for us???
i just love this time of year - all over the world! :)
great pix, Fransie. it looks so magical from this side, and i am certain it *is* that magical!
Susie, i so understand what you're thinking ... it is such a push-and-pull-on-the-heart-strings situation. on the one hand, keeping that belief is so important to me, to preserve the child in them for as long as i can. on the other hand, exactly as you said, explaining it will make the giving part so much easier (to others and to them) and help them understand some of the logistics.
for now, we're fielding some benign questions that aren't revealing in any way from them. i'd like to hope it'll stay that way for just one more year ....
It was magical indeed, Susie! It always is. It is such a fun thing, the big boat full of dancing Petes, the Saint shaking kids hands.The weather even cooperated.
About the Santa myth... Frank found out last year, and I wasn't going to lie to him. The year before I answered questions with 'what do you think?'. His answer was always that he thought it was real. When his anwers changed, I just didn't object, and he gradually found out himself. He *loves* knowing The Secret now, and tries to hard to make it special for the other two. It's heart warming, it really is. It's just as fun, in a different way.
As for the gift giving... I see where you're coming from. When my kids make their lists and talk about all the stuff that they are 'going to get', I keep reminding them that it is a WISH list, not a shopping list, and that Saint will pick and choose which items to bring, since He Knows Best. They do seem to think that's perfectly logical. The issue that always seems to tug my heart strings is the kids around them that get a lot more, or a lot less. I mean, how do you explain that?
Oe ik vind de strikjes Pieten geweldig! De pieten van het laatste plaatje vind ik een beetje eng..... ZO zwart en krullerig. Begrijp meteen weer waarom ik het als kind maar een beetje spannend en eng vond. Maar het is weer een heerlijke tijd! Ik geniet met volle teugen, die blije snoetjes na een hele nacht wachten na het schoentje zetten en dan blij zijn met iets relatiefs kleins; heerlijk.
En tja, die hele 'discussie' over het geheim, de magie, maar ook de oneerlijkheid van het geheel. Kinderen zijn bijzondere wezens waarbij fantasie en werkelijkheid zo fantastisch door elkaar lopen. Ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat wij onze kinderen van heel kleins af aan vertellen dat het sinterklaasfeest een groot feest is, maar dat hij niet echt bestaat. Dat verklaart een hele hoop, zeker het verschil in cadeaus bij de één en de ander. Wel drukken we ze op het hart dat dit een groot feest is waar iedereen mee mee doet en dat wij ook met alles mee doen, maar dat niet alle papa's en mama's vertellen dat het eigenlijk niet echt is. Dus dat zij dat ook niet moeten doen. Ze doen dit uitstekend. En het geweldige van alles is; als ze sinterklaas zien (op school, op televisie) dan is dat écht sinterklaas die ze zien! Net zoals de sinterklaas van tv nog altijd stiekum echt sinterklaas is voor mij. Als ik hem zie dan geloof ik gewoon ook!
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I love that last pic, where Frank is kinda looking sideways at the Pete while keeping his arm protectively around R's shoulder ... and that St. Nick is sure authentic looking!
I confess to my ongoing goal of breaking my kids of some of the Santa myth. Not that I want them to give up on believing in the magic of it all ... but I do want them to start to understand that they can't, in fact, have everything they want. Because it's hard to afford what they'd like, and they don't get that ~ "But Mom, if we ask Santa, HE can bring it, so you and Daddy don't have to be able to afford it!" Ummmmm .... yeah. Not quite sure how to answer that one yet... .
Oops ... meant to add this: to get them to begin to understand without totally bursting their Santa-believing bubble, this is what I've done. I had Tristan sign us up for the "secret Santa" giving that is done through his allergist's office. We were sent a letter so that we can be Santa to a needy child. So i"ve told the boys about it ... that we need to give without spoiling the secret of it for the boy ... and that what we're doing is being Santa for him, because what, after all, is Santa, besides giving so that someone else can have the fun of receiving? When we talked it through, I could see the wheels turning in their heads. So, like, if WE'RE Santa for a kid who otherwise wouldn't have any gifts ... why doesn't the REAL Santa go there? Oh, wait a minute ... maybe if WE'RE Santa for him, someone else is Santa for us???
We'll see if that gets us anywhere...
i just love this time of year - all over the world! :)
great pix, Fransie. it looks so magical from this side, and i am certain it *is* that magical!
Susie, i so understand what you're thinking ... it is such a push-and-pull-on-the-heart-strings situation. on the one hand, keeping that belief is so important to me, to preserve the child in them for as long as i can. on the other hand, exactly as you said, explaining it will make the giving part so much easier (to others and to them) and help them understand some of the logistics.
for now, we're fielding some benign questions that aren't revealing in any way from them. i'd like to hope it'll stay that way for just one more year ....
It was magical indeed, Susie! It always is. It is such a fun thing, the big boat full of dancing Petes, the Saint shaking kids hands.The weather even cooperated.
About the Santa myth... Frank found out last year, and I wasn't going to lie to him. The year before I answered questions with 'what do you think?'. His answer was always that he thought it was real. When his anwers changed, I just didn't object, and he gradually found out himself. He *loves* knowing The Secret now, and tries to hard to make it special for the other two. It's heart warming, it really is. It's just as fun, in a different way.
As for the gift giving... I see where you're coming from. When my kids make their lists and talk about all the stuff that they are 'going to get', I keep reminding them that it is a WISH list, not a shopping list, and that Saint will pick and choose which items to bring, since He Knows Best. They do seem to think that's perfectly logical. The issue that always seems to tug my heart strings is the kids around them that get a lot more, or a lot less. I mean, how do you explain that?
In één woord: GEWELDIG!!!
Heb jullie niet zien staan. Ik stond tussen de fanfare te toeteren!!! Maar het was wel leuk he!!!
Oe ik vind de strikjes Pieten geweldig! De pieten van het laatste plaatje vind ik een beetje eng..... ZO zwart en krullerig. Begrijp meteen weer waarom ik het als kind maar een beetje spannend en eng vond.
Maar het is weer een heerlijke tijd! Ik geniet met volle teugen, die blije snoetjes na een hele nacht wachten na het schoentje zetten en dan blij zijn met iets relatiefs kleins; heerlijk.
En tja, die hele 'discussie' over het geheim, de magie, maar ook de oneerlijkheid van het geheel. Kinderen zijn bijzondere wezens waarbij fantasie en werkelijkheid zo fantastisch door elkaar lopen. Ik moet eerlijk zeggen dat wij onze kinderen van heel kleins af aan vertellen dat het sinterklaasfeest een groot feest is, maar dat hij niet echt bestaat. Dat verklaart een hele hoop, zeker het verschil in cadeaus bij de één en de ander. Wel drukken we ze op het hart dat dit een groot feest is waar iedereen mee mee doet en dat wij ook met alles mee doen, maar dat niet alle papa's en mama's vertellen dat het eigenlijk niet echt is. Dus dat zij dat ook niet moeten doen. Ze doen dit uitstekend. En het geweldige van alles is; als ze sinterklaas zien (op school, op televisie) dan is dat écht sinterklaas die ze zien! Net zoals de sinterklaas van tv nog altijd stiekum echt sinterklaas is voor mij. Als ik hem zie dan geloof ik gewoon ook!
gezellig hè ? die leuke magische tijd en al die lekkere dingen !
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