We were going to be cool.  Yes, we’re sort of skipping Christmas, but of course Santa is definitely still coming.  It just that he has to come two weeks early because we’re leaving our current apartment on Dec. 15th as we’re getting ready for our nearly three month Patagonia / Uruguay / Chile adventure.  And it’s really hard for Santa to find us in a hotel in Jose Ignacio and then for all the kids to carry their gifts for the following two months, so early Christmas it is.

And so…it was decided by the powers at be that Santa will arrive on the night of December 8th and on Sunday morning, December 9th, children will exclaim joy as they unwrap their gifts (in abbreviated version, to be sure).

But where should Santa leave presents?  No Christmas tree, no fireplace decorated with stockings, and no other obvious places for gifts to be waiting on Sunday morning. In fact, how will he come in?  How does he know that Christmas needs to arrive two weeks earlier for the Smiths?  These are all very complicated questions to answer for Kuba, but somehow we managed.

Then on the evening of Dec. 8th we went out.  And we came home late to this….

This magnificent Christmas tree was constructed in secret by our three kids out of plastic bottles, garbage bags, and old cloths and clothes.  Along with a few decorations laid out in front of it, it stood there as a reminder of joy, holiday spirit, and utter feeling that we are failing as parents.  Don’t get me wrong – I love the creativity!  They wanted a tree and we weren’t going to get one so why not make it?  It’s remarkable, but also, sort of sad.  Have we gone too far in attempting to teach grit to our kids??!!!

Rob was ecstatic at the sight.  ‘Isn’t it amazing that they built their own tree?’.  Well, no!  I want our own beautiful Christmas tree and while this one is unique, I read it as a clear message that our kids seem to be in some sort of distress.  They wanted a Christmas tree so bad that they literally painted empty plastic bottles in brown to exemplify the tree trunk and used their green clothing to show tree branches.  It was a devastating sight to consume, with doubts swirling in my head about our little adventures.

And yet, the morning came, and the excitement was difficult to contain.  With Christmas music in the background and our new, beautiful Christmas tree in the foreground, each kid ripped up the wrapping paper and with smiles opened their gifts.  We then took pictures with new cameras, built new lego cars, and tried on new sunglasses.  And then we went on to enjoy a lovely lunch with friends for the entire afternoon.  The day was capped with the Boca vs River game as we comfortably and gratefully settled back into our new life.  And that, that is our family Christmas this year.  Still magical.