polkadots and lollipops: Santa Clause is coming to town EARLY

Santa came early which has become the normal for us- never spending a Christmas at home but visiting loved ones for the holidays. Its a sweet time of year and spending time with our extended family has always taken precedence over a quiet Christmas at our house alone. We trade the traditional for the extra special loud holiday with grandparents showering my chickens with love (and gifts, way too many gifts) with dog sitters, kennels, long road trips, airport security and stuffing the car and suitcases more than a thanksgiving turkey on the way back home (as well as sending a huge load of goodies UPS back home).

In 2012 it is perfectly acceptable to email your Christmas list to Santa- isn't that something? LOL I often ponder role of technology in my children's lives and it's definitely a different world for them than the one I grew up in! Annabelle even typed her own list on the laptop- her cyber wisdom is almost equal to mine at age 5! Daddy sent his own note in Santa's email- informing him of our travel plans and asking to reschedule a drop off time. The old man replied to Daddy that he needed to make a "test run" on Sunday 12-16 and he'd bring by the Haines loot. We woke up to packages, bikes, and more under our tree:)