See the Hat? I'm Mrs. Nesbitt!

This morning Jingle Bell hosted a tea party, and Buzz Lightyear was invited to come - only if he came dressed as Mrs. Nesbitt.  Madison looked all over the house downstairs before she thought to look in her playroom, and there he was:  Jingle Bell and a tea party.  She loved it!

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day, which was a fun learning opportunity for us here.  Mommy was showing Madison tonight who St. Nicholas was.  In certain countries, tomorrow is the big day like Christmas - they hand out gifts and candy (or coal!).  We watched the Veggie Tales version of "St. Nicholas" and learned a little about who St. Nick was (did you know he was actually some sort of pepper?).  Beyond the vegetation, it is a pretty educational video about the real St. Nick.

Before bed tonight, children in Europe - and in this house - leave out a boot or shoe by the fireplace or outside the front door.  In our case, Madison's pink boots were by the fireplace.  We'll see if St. Nick leaves anything for her there tomorrow morning - December is such a magical time isn't it?  Fortunately, Krampus is not coming here.

We love all the quirky celebrations all over the world, and this one might take the prize for most surreal/disturbing.  Apparently, leaving naughty children coal is not enough in certain parts of Austria.  This night has got to be terrifying for children there:  were you good enough?  Did you pass the naughty-nice test?  If you're nice this year, you get a visit and presents from St. Nicholas.  If you're naughty, the guy above comes to your house.  He hits you with sticks and puts you in a big pot, then carrying you to the netherworld where you are presumably cooked and eaten.  They have parades filled with people dressed like Krampus in Austria (The festival in California is a joke:  That's not culture - it's just stupid people dressing up like monsters).

Anyway, the photo above is one of the lesser disturbing images of a person dressed as Krampus.  Usually, the costumes are enough to bother even Daddy.  We look at the pictures and try to fathom why anyone would do this around children, and then imagine those future conversations with therapists.

Madison has no idea who Krampus is.  But today she certainly has a good idea of who St. Nicholas is - a good man.  Speaking of which, here is our Christmas devotional entry for the day, dedicated to the brave soldiers all over, spending Christmas away from home.

These days, we sing “White Christmas” with a beautiful wintry scene in our minds. But for the folks who heard it for the first time for real, it had a most profound meaning.

The beginning of the movie “White Christmas” shows this perfectly. The year was 1941. It was a time when folks were possessed with worries of an unstable world, of loved ones being shipped off for war, not knowing when they would be together again. Futures and dreams were put on hold. A Christmas “just like the ones I used to know” was definitely something to hope for. It was something longed for.

For most of the folks listening to Bing Crosby’s song, their thoughts were of separation during Christmas’ to come. Nobody knew how long the war would last or what the outcome would be. For many, facing Christmas under these circumstances made “White Christmas” a song listened to with reverence and reflection.

As the war progressed, it became in essence an anthem itself. Christmas 1943 saw many families torn apart as America fought the war on two fronts. Christmas 1944 was a cold, bitter and frightful time for folks living continents away. This song was cherished on both sides of the ocean, and revered for the sentiment it carried. By the end of the war, “White Christmas” had become the biggest selling single of all time and it remains, to this day, the most popular recorded holiday song of all time.

The next time you hear “White Christmas,” try to remember our troops overseas, who keep our Christmas season safe, just like the ones we used to know.