Irish Daisy

My oldest kid is 11, she’s in the sixth grade, she stands about 5’ 2” and wears a women’s size eight shoe…She also passionately believes in Santa Claus. So passionately that she was engaging in verbal smack-downs with kids in her class who had the nerve to say the Jolly Old Elf isn’t real. My enthusiastic girl And, it’s not just Santa. My delightful, cheerful and whimsical oldest child is equally passionate about the existence of the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, mermaids, unicorns and dragons. She believes with every fiber of her being because she wants to live in the kind of world where these fantastic things can be true (Ironically, she also loves science – it’s her best subject in school...so there’s that). The latest kerfuffle in class made me realize we couldn’t put it off any more – we had to come clean and tell her that there was no real, live, physical person, jolly or otherwise, who poofed down our chimney on Christmas Eve to leave a pile of gifts in the middle of th...

I love the holidays, LOVE them.  Except when I don’t. It’s not really about not loving the holidays; it’s about not loving what they turn me into, and some of the crap that comes with all of the good stuff. Clearly Christmas is strange enough at our house... Shopping for example, I hate shopping. Picking out just the right thing for someone I care about brings a lot of joy and satisfaction. Having to go to the mall to do so is like a trip to the seventh circle of hell. Now there is a new thing to irritate me about the holidays and I can’t wait until the fad dies and we can all just stop. I bet you have an idea of what I’m talking about, don’t you, because most people don't like it except for the few who have turned it into another competitive parenting event. Yes, it’s that creepy, irritating elf on the shelf. First, it’s damned creepy. Like, kill-everyone-in-their-sleep creepy. If it doesn’t creep you out, good for you! I would not be able to sleep with th...