Santa Hunters.
The week before Christmas, my dad started telling the girls stories about trying to catch Santa Claus. He's regaled them with such tales before, but this year they seemed especially dramatic and exciting. Then he laid a real whopper on them - he invited them to go on a Christmas Eve Santa hunt.
They were thrilled. Brynn has literally talked of nothing else for 2 solid days. As I was cooking this morning, Brynn ran into the kitchen, just bubbling over with excitement. She had an idea and insisted she call Grandpa Tim right away. I helped her dial the phone and she wandered off to her room to discuss her plan in private. Minutes later she came bounding back to the kitchen.
"Mom! Mom! I called Grandpa and asked him if I should bring my binoculars on the Santa hunt tonight and you know what he said? He said perfect," she gushed, literally grinning from ear to ear that an expert Santa hunter approved of her plan.
Tonight we enjoyed a lovely Christmas eve dinner and family home evening at my mom's. She invited Chad's parents and with everyone together we ate, sang Christmas Carols, read about the Savior's birth in Luke, Brynn sang a solo - "I Love to see the Temple" - which she has literally practiced everyday for weeks, and Grace read a Christmas story. Once the traditions were out of the way, Grandpa launched into action.
Ever since I was a kid, my Dad has had a set of jingle bells. Real jingle bells. Straight off the sleigh, so he says. It's a dozen or so bells sewed onto a long strap of leather and they are loud. When we were kids he would sneak outside and ring those babies creating sure, auditory evidence of Santa's impending arrival.
Tonight Uncle Ben crept out the back door and ran around the house like a mad man, ringing those jingle bells. The girls went wild! They ran upstairs to peek out of the windows, they ran outside and gazed up into the sky.
With Santa so close, my dad declared it was time for the hunt. So the girls changed into their new fleecy Christmas pjs and put on their coats and boots. Grandma gave them each a lantarn. Dad tossed them each a garbage bag to collect all the presents in after then caught Santa. They filled a ziploc bag full of carrots and Brynn got her binoculars.
"We've got to head to higher ground," Grandpa declared. "You can only see the sleigh if you are up high. I hear he's up near the Draper temple."
Both girls, literally fit to burst loaded in the car and they headed off. It took them 30 or so minutes, but they returned with great stories. Now I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly how any of these things occurred but according to the three hunters they saw the sleigh twice, the heard Santa say ho ho ho three times and they almost caught him, but he got away.
Brynn was sad. She really wanted to meet him. "But if you caught him," I said, "how would he bring us any presents?"
But think an expert Santa hunter like Grandpa was going down without a fight?? Think again! He rigged up traps for the girls to try and catch Santa in the house. Old work boots, tied with long pieces of rope. You could either catch Santa or leave him alone and he would leave a present in your boot.
The girls really wanted presents, so the angst of catching or not catching was intense! Finally, they set the traps for catching presents and wrote Santa notes. Grace's said:
Dear Santa,
I don't want to do this, but my Grandpa want's to cech you. But I don't want to be on the Noddy list. I want to be on the good list. I'm sorry Santa. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Grace
They left out milk, cookies and carrots and went to bed. In the morning the woke to presents in shiny wrap beaming under the tree and the following note:
Dear Grace and Brynn,
Close call tonight - you girls almost caught me! That grandpa of yours is tricky. I remember he almost caught me once when he was little.
No hard feelings!
Merry Christmas -
S.C.
PS Thanks for the cookies!
They were so excited. Santa came! They got presents! And Santa remembered Grandpa Tim when he was little! Astonishing. I think the hunt may become a tradition. They are already laying plans for next year!
They were thrilled. Brynn has literally talked of nothing else for 2 solid days. As I was cooking this morning, Brynn ran into the kitchen, just bubbling over with excitement. She had an idea and insisted she call Grandpa Tim right away. I helped her dial the phone and she wandered off to her room to discuss her plan in private. Minutes later she came bounding back to the kitchen.
"Mom! Mom! I called Grandpa and asked him if I should bring my binoculars on the Santa hunt tonight and you know what he said? He said perfect," she gushed, literally grinning from ear to ear that an expert Santa hunter approved of her plan.
Tonight we enjoyed a lovely Christmas eve dinner and family home evening at my mom's. She invited Chad's parents and with everyone together we ate, sang Christmas Carols, read about the Savior's birth in Luke, Brynn sang a solo - "I Love to see the Temple" - which she has literally practiced everyday for weeks, and Grace read a Christmas story. Once the traditions were out of the way, Grandpa launched into action.
Ever since I was a kid, my Dad has had a set of jingle bells. Real jingle bells. Straight off the sleigh, so he says. It's a dozen or so bells sewed onto a long strap of leather and they are loud. When we were kids he would sneak outside and ring those babies creating sure, auditory evidence of Santa's impending arrival.
Tonight Uncle Ben crept out the back door and ran around the house like a mad man, ringing those jingle bells. The girls went wild! They ran upstairs to peek out of the windows, they ran outside and gazed up into the sky.
With Santa so close, my dad declared it was time for the hunt. So the girls changed into their new fleecy Christmas pjs and put on their coats and boots. Grandma gave them each a lantarn. Dad tossed them each a garbage bag to collect all the presents in after then caught Santa. They filled a ziploc bag full of carrots and Brynn got her binoculars.
"We've got to head to higher ground," Grandpa declared. "You can only see the sleigh if you are up high. I hear he's up near the Draper temple."
Both girls, literally fit to burst loaded in the car and they headed off. It took them 30 or so minutes, but they returned with great stories. Now I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly how any of these things occurred but according to the three hunters they saw the sleigh twice, the heard Santa say ho ho ho three times and they almost caught him, but he got away.
Brynn was sad. She really wanted to meet him. "But if you caught him," I said, "how would he bring us any presents?"
But think an expert Santa hunter like Grandpa was going down without a fight?? Think again! He rigged up traps for the girls to try and catch Santa in the house. Old work boots, tied with long pieces of rope. You could either catch Santa or leave him alone and he would leave a present in your boot.
The girls really wanted presents, so the angst of catching or not catching was intense! Finally, they set the traps for catching presents and wrote Santa notes. Grace's said:
Dear Santa,
I don't want to do this, but my Grandpa want's to cech you. But I don't want to be on the Noddy list. I want to be on the good list. I'm sorry Santa. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Grace
They left out milk, cookies and carrots and went to bed. In the morning the woke to presents in shiny wrap beaming under the tree and the following note:
Dear Grace and Brynn,
Close call tonight - you girls almost caught me! That grandpa of yours is tricky. I remember he almost caught me once when he was little.
No hard feelings!
Merry Christmas -
S.C.
PS Thanks for the cookies!
They were so excited. Santa came! They got presents! And Santa remembered Grandpa Tim when he was little! Astonishing. I think the hunt may become a tradition. They are already laying plans for next year!
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