The morning of Christmas Eve, Ella wandered in our room about 7 o’clock {despite our admonition to SLEEP LATE} and was already talking about Scout and where we might find him. I sent her back out with some instructions that were quickly followed by a squeal. It seems Scout was strung upside down in the living room.
Not only did he steal some green yarn from our gift-wrapping stash, he somehow managed to string it from the entertainment center to the ceiling fan and was dangling with the grace of a trapeze artist. As excited as Ella was to see him, she was even more excited that he left a message. We made her wait in suspense all day and finally as the sun was setting, we grabbed a stool and plucked it down.
Scout thanked her for her hospitality and for being such a good girl. He reminded her of ways to impress Santa {and her parents} throughout the year and told her that Santa would be by soon to pick him up for his annual trek back to the North Pole. Most of that information was quite expected, but one little line left us all stunned. You see, Scout is a magical elf that can’t be touched. He comes alive at night, but during the day he is still and quiet. He told us his very first visit that he can’t be touched by human hands, lest he lose his magic. Ella is very serious about not touching him and worries about his magic constantly. In his message, Scout told her she could hold him this night and leave him next to the milk and cookies for Santa. She was really worried about this, but her curiosity won and she had me get him down.
Both she and Scout were amazed that we could track Santa’s progress around the world online. We followed along as Norad marked his location and present delivery status. The five of us piled on the couch for our annual viewing of A Christmas Story, but we were sure to check in with Santa during the commercial breaks.
I’m not sure I can convey the excitement when Santa jumped the pond. Ella was thrilled he was finally on our side of the world… she had been telling people all afternoon that he was already making deliveries in China. Since his arrival was imminent, we tucked Scout next to our chocolate milk and homemade cookies and headed off to bed. Sophie had been out for quite some time and it was time for Ella to snuggle in and wait for Santa. She opted to leave her door open this year {although Santa shut it for her later} in case she caught a glimpse.
Can you see the nervous excitement in her face? Her eyes are WIDE open; she was beside herself and ready for Santa’s big arrival. I can assure you there were two people in this house even more excited, and maybe a little more nervous, than she was. On our way home from Christmas communion a little earlier in the evening, she began to cry and tell us that she thought maybe she didn’t want that Barbie bicycle after all and was afraid it was too late to change her mind! After a little discussion, we arrived at the admission that she was VERY nervous about a big girl bike and was worried she couldn’t do it, whew! Stay tuned to see how that worked out for us.
