Keeping Up with The Joneses: We Wish You a Merry Christmas, #27!

Today, Katie Anne completed her annual tradition of sponsoring an Angel Tree child. Saunders and I have sponsored at least one needy child at Christmas every year since 2000, and I really want to keep that tradition alive in our family - especially for our kids. So, starting the Christmas when I was pregnant with Katie Anne, she's sponsored an Angel Tree kid, too. For the last two years, it's really been in name only (although I did carry her into DFACS when I dropped off the gifts last year - it was one of her last outings in the infant car seat). This year, she was able to participate more, and I can't wait until she can really think about and really choose gifts for her Angel Tree child.

I think the holiday season becomes so much about getting and so little about giving for kids. As a teacher, I see sweet, precious, generous little angels turn into greedy green-eyed monsters when the Christmas trees go up and talk of Santa starts. So, one of the most important parts of the holidays for us as parents is to emphasize good will towards others by helping other kids in need. Let's face it- Katie Anne is very lucky and very spoiled by her parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and all her extended family. She'll get more for Christmas than a lot of kids out there, and I want to help her remember that and be thankful for all she has. I always feel good on Christmas morning thinking of the foster child that's opening the gifts we picked out. I want Katie Anne to do the same thing- she can feel really good at Christmas knowing that, in some other house, another child is feeling joy and opening fun new things because she was kind and generous, too.

So, last Sunday night, we went shopping for our Angel Tree kid- Kid #27, a four-year-old girl who attends the CPS Pre-K Program. We went to WalMart- hey, the economic crisis affects us all, even Angel Tree kids. Katie Anne helped to pick out each thing. (What we did was pick two of whatever we wanted to get - like two different color coats - and let Katie Anne pick between the two.) She got Kid #27 a red and black themed outfit and a black glittery shirt and black pants. I wasn't too thrilled about the glittery shirt, but KA insisted. Garanimals said they went together, so we went with it. Katie Anne made a good choice and got Kid #27 a pink puffy coat that was on sale for only $8.00. Then, I was proud when KA picked the sensible white and pink tennis shoes over the gaudy High School Musical 3 shoes that Saunders was really pushing for. :) We also got Kid #27 some toys- this was KA's favorite part. We got her a Barbie (this time, Katie Anne picked the HSM3 one), a Play-Doh bucket thing, and a Dora Memory game. So, I think Kid #27 has a good mix of toys and clothes and should have a good Christmas. I would've liked to get one big toy item, but those shoes took a chunk of our Angel Tree budget, and that's what the sheet said she really needed. My apologies for not having any pictures of the shopping fun, but I was just focusing on getting Mrs. Mono through WalMart and out alive.

On Tuesday night, we wrapped all the presents. Katie Anne had a great time helping with this part. She loved helping to roll out the paper and rip off (aka demolish and destroy) the tape. She had some trouble understanding why we wouldn't open the Barbie, which she'd fully believed was hers from the get-go. However, once it was wrapped, she promptly forgot about it. She also LOVED the idea of putting the presents under the tree- Katie Anne rearranged them several times over the last few days, but luckily she never tried to open them. This time, I did get pictures, even though Saunders and I are in our pajamas in them!

Finally, KA and I delivered our gifts to the middle school today. It was a coordinated effort to get Katie Anne and all the packages down to the drop-off room, since Katie Anne got really scared of the wrestling team members who were leaving practice as we were walking in, so she refused to walk. Sweaty, goofy middle school boys can be frightening. Finally, we made it, and of course we had time to stop by a friend's classroom (thanks, Ashley Chupp!) and let her make our picture for blogging posterity! There were a lot of gifts piled in the drop-off room for lots of different kids, so I'm sure there will be lots of boys and girls having a happy Christmas this year!

One last, longing look before Barbie is wrapped. (Don't feel bad- she has a few of her own, too.)