Yes, Mommy And Daddy, There IS A Santa...

For the past 3 weeks, Alex and I desperately tried to convince our son Benjamin that Santa existed after he learned otherwise from a friend.  We put all our efforts into proving him wrong in order to protect his brother and sister's beliefs [which were still intact].  While doing so we found ourselves overreacting at times, and at others, losing a little sight of what the holiday should be all about.  In the end, however, everything flowed smoothly:  decorating the tree, gift buying and wrapping, menu planning and delighting our children on early Christmas morning.

We're not quite sure if Ben still believes in Santa, but we know that he still relished the magic of it all in his young heart.  I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday, one overflowing with a spirit of peace, kindness and gratitude.  Santa lives in all of us.

Childhood Memories: A Vintage Creche

The holidays provide time to create new family traditions and to revisit old ones.   As a child. I fondly remember playing with my family's own Nativity set.  I loved all the animals and the joyful expressions on Mary, Joseph and the wise men.  Not long ago, I found the same exact creche I grew up with on EBay and now our daughter Zoe is enjoying it as I once did.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is here already.  For so many families the holiday season will never be the same.  This year's natural disasters and human induced tragedies have impacted many lives forever.   Let's all remember that Christmas is meant to bring  "Peace on earth, good will to men" and pray that it is so...