My Day with Fran

It looks as if the Elf is ready to put on a Christmas-themed puppet show!  The others in the room were lined up to see it - I'm surprised we didn't hear anything last night, as this was all right next to our bedroom.

Daddy picked up Madison from school today, and she had a friend with her.  And a homework assignment:

A journal and a gingerbread doll goes home with a different kid each day, and it is up to each student to write an entry describing what was done that day with the doll.  Her name is Fran.  I have NO idea why they chose the name Fran for a gingerbread doll.  The only Fran I know is Fran Drescher, and I'm fairly certain there isn't a connection there.

So what did Madison do with Fran today?  We started out with piano class, of course.  Madison introduced Fran to Mrs. Pam - she carried that gingerbread doll with her from keyboard to keyboard, as the children practiced all around.

With Mommy still under the weather, we decided to stop at the drive-thru at McDonald's on the way home.  Fran and Madison sat in the back, munching on fries.  Once again, the drive-thru didn't hear requests for ketchup, and didn't hear that Madison was in fact a girl.  That's why her toy was a football. But Madison's reaction was much more seasonal than Daddy's.  She announced from the backseat, "It's okay, Daddy."

We got home and decided the best thing to do together as a family would be some movie time on the couch.  Madison did her homework assignment first, writing about how she and Fran went to piano class - and then how she and Fran went watched a Christmas movie together.  That's the picture above - Madison and Fran munching on some popcorn as we watch "The Grinch."

We read a few more Christmas books before bedtime, and pretty much went to bed tonight at the same time.  Tomorrow is supposed to be chilly, and it'll be good to get some rest, particularly Mommy.

While we're sleeping, here's the latest devotional entry:

December 10 - "Jingle All the Way"

Here are the three words Howard Langston doesn't want to hear before Christmas: "It's Turbo Time!"

He's been so focused on his job that he completely forgets to get a Christmas gift for his son, an action figure named Turbo Man. The worst part of it all is the lie: he tells his wife he actually got one of those dolls weeks ago. And that's how it all starts: it seems like a little lie at the time. But in this movie we all learn what can happen with just a little lie.

It can bury you! Howard is caught in a madcap shopping blitz, desperately racing around the entire city looking for Turbo Man. And this last-minute shopping is a total war out there! Things get so bad that he, a grown man, actually catches himself going into a neighbor's house to steal another kid's Turbo Man action figure.

Towards the end of this classic Christmas flick, the truth does come out. It always does. And yes, it isn't pretty. But it would have been a whole lot better if he hadn't lied in the first place. Lies have a habit of growing, don't they? One small bend in the truth can lead to a whole lot of trouble.

The movie "Jingle all the Way" ends well for Harold and his family. He becomes like Turbo Man himself, just to make sure his son has the best Christmas ever. But a valuable lesson is learned: it's best to stick with the truth. Just like Turbo Man!