Don't tell Tracy...

I love this time of year.  You can feel the anticipation and the Christmas joy in the air.  Each morning the boys get up and go on a desperate search to find Jasmine.  Jasmine is our elf on a shelf.  If you're not familiar with the elf on a shelf it is a personal elf that visits your house during the holiday season and reports to Santa each night if you were naughty or nice.  Personally I think it's a brilliant discipline tool for at least one month out of the year.  Those boys fear that elf, and what she might tell Santa more then their mom and dad.  If I could come up with an elf on the shelf concept that lasted a whole  year I'd be rich and maybe have better behaved kids!
I also love this time of  year because it gets colder out and it is supposed to snow.  I've always said if it has to be cold it might was well snow!  Family traditions also make this time of year great too!  From watching the Christmas stories on TV to waiting until Christmas to open your presents I really enjoy all of the family traditions surrounding this year and passing them onto my boys. 
I also love the idea of Tracy starting a new tradition each year.  Each year in November and early December Tracy tells me, "Let's not get each other anything for Christmas."  I say, "ok sounds good"...knowing full well the boys had better get her something and that Santa had better come through too!  An aside, Tracy's birthday is on the 23rd of December so we still get her birthday presents.  I can expect this statement as I said in late November to early December.  This year she tried a new twist to the tradition by saying we should take what we would have spent on each other and given it to some charity.  I think what a great idea.  We've also cut the presents the boys get from us back some for 2 reasons: 1) they have enough stuff already, and 2) we're going to take a few more small trips throughout the year where we can make memories as a family instead of spending money on stuff they'll use for a week and then forget they have. 
Well Tracy's "new" tradition of not getting each other something lasted until last night.  As we're unwinding after the boys are in bed she says, "I'd like a pair of those slippers that go up to my knees."  I think to myself, I'd call those boots, but that's a different story for a different blog!  I remind her that we weren't getting each other anything, and she replies, "well that's something Santa can bring me."  HA, December 9th and the "new' tradition is dead! 
As I said I love this time of year.  No deep theological thoughts this week...just a reminder to start some family traditions of your own, and to spend some extra time with loved ones this Christmas season!  And, if you're married and male, she wants something for Christmas even though she says she doesn't!