Bobby:
The latest iPhone
Fancy new basketball shoes
Nike, Nike, Nike
Catelyn:
I don’t know
I don’t know
I don’t know
(But really, I DO know if you get her something she doesn’t like; she’ll make it well known)
Declan:
Toys, Toys, TOYS!
(Wait, what is the latest thing he is IN to now? I am fully prepared for Declan to fall in love with something like asteroids the day before Christmas – leaving me completely unprepared in the gift department).
I am starting to realize that as the kids get older, the gifts are a lot less fun (and way more expensive).
Do you know what rock stars Bob and I felt like when we could please a kid with a cheap piece of moving plastic?
I was reminded of this wonderful feeling as I scrolled through old photos of Christmas’s of yore.
In an effort to find something that Catelyn WOULD enjoy opening at Christmas, I decided to compile old photos of her for a book that she would enjoy flipping through. Photos like:
I think she’ll really like it. I know I enjoyed walking down memory lane as I made it.
The one thing that wasn’t in old Christmas photos were trips to church. After we were asked to leave our old church, we stopped going. Until the right time (and church) were found.
This year, we get to add photos of Catelyn and Declan in the Christmas pageant.
Declan stood in all seriousness to sing his songs with his class. Catelyn was an angel singing hymns related to the Christmas story. When she took her halo off, I joked with Bob that the angel fell from grace.
Only to see her moments later walk in as the donkey bringing Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
(She let us know later that when the pageant coordinator asked if anyone was willing to play the role of the donkey, Catelyn raised her hand and let the woman know, “I feel this is the role I was born to play.”)
She really is a hoot. Kept us smiling all day long thinking of our little donkey.
Christmas music, Christmas lights inside and out, the Christmas tree, baking cookies, Christmas decorations, Christmas movies, that darn elf on the shelf posse – I see how the holiday has changed for us throughout the years and I see how it is likely to change again for us in years to come. But hopefully, even when we have a house of expensive teenage Christmas wishes, we will continue to keep the Christmas spirit alive in all our yearly Christmas traditions.
Aw, those pics are precious! 😭😭😭
Thank you, Sam! 🙂 🙂 I think she’ll really like seeing them – especially in a book just for her. At least, I hope so!
My oldest loves my books but Joey…she’s not there yet. Not old enough I think to “reflect”. But i don’t care, I still make one for every year AND schoolyear anyway! I’m pretty sure our Shutterfly account has like 50 books in it 😂
Oh boy, do the gifts get more expensive!! Ben still doesnt seem to care what he gets, he just likes opening stuff. He has approximately 100 different police cars but he’s been asking for a new one. I hope he doesnt change his mind cuz Santa has already given his request to Amazon, I mean the elfs 😉
The girls and I just get socks, slippers, PJ pants, maybe underwear… We all buy what we want when we want it, so trying to buy gifts for each other would just be stressful and a waste of money.
I’m glad you guys are still happy with your new church. Born to play the donkey, eh?? That great!
Ben’s school is doing a Holiday Show on Thursday. We have to sneak in and hide in the back so he doesnt see us. If he sees us he’ll demand to go home with us. 🙄
I hear ya! Declan wanted a couple of new Spiderman things – and I know he always loves Spiderman but sometimes something else just pops in, right at the very end and Spiderman kind of takes a second seat. I’m hoping the same as you, because Amazon already processed the first request.
Haha, I know. I think it’s because she knows the biblical term was ass, although she was PC for us 🙂
Oh, yes. I remember you saying that. Hope the show is awesome! And he doesn’t see you 😉
So isn’t that a pretty deeply sarcastic joke for a kid with autism? Eli is really sarcastic but based on what I’ve heard and read it’s unusual.
Maybe? Declan definitely is not sarcastic – that stuff is lost on him. Catelyn’s more high functioning. Her struggles have never really been with language or understanding it. Where Declan lost his language, she didn’t. She, instead recited long passages of script she heard on TV at a young age. Her struggles have always been with the social/emotional piece. There are probably a lot of people diagnosed with autism that have behavior traits that fall outside of the classic definition of autism – because Catelyn is definitely sarcastic. Probably imitates it from her dad.
What beautiful photos of Christmas past. Just love your family.
That is so sweet – Thank you so much!!
The photos are wonderful. so much fun to look back. And I LOVE Catelyn’s reply about taking the donkey role. That is priceless!
It is – I think we were all laughing when we walked out of church on Sunday. None of us knew she was going to walk in as a donkey and then when we heard how she got the part – yes, definitely priceless! She is so funny 🙂
lol @ that quote!! I love the kid pics!
She’s so funny 🙂 Thank you!
Sweet photos, Robyn…
Thank you!
Lovely post, Robyn! I enjoyed looking back with you, and remembering how our own Christmases have changed over the years. And the memories will mean so much to our children as they get older, but your gift will make it all the more special and real for Catelyn. What a perfect gift. Family traditions do change over the years as the festive season matures along with the kids, but just as history is so important to who we have become as civilisations today, the same applies to the history of our individual families. The past makes us who we are, and well done for keeping yours alive. 🙂
That is so true, Alli! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is such a great piece. Got me thinking about us. Our boy fortunately has no grasp of labels yet. He will now define his list quite specifically but like D will often throw in a very late curve ball. Traditions are so important it helps move things away from just the presents element. The pictures are just so wonderful.
Oh, that late curveball! I’m on my toes now, dancing around him, waiting to try and catch it. But I think I still have a few more days before he’ll toss it (and leave me out midnight shopping 🙂 ). Thank you! The pictures were so fun to compile. I think she’ll like it!
She really brings a lot of grace and dignity to the donkey role. There’s a cute animated Christmas movie called The Star that tells the nativity story from the donkey’s point of view.
Oh, that made me laugh 🙂 Okay, that sounds neat – we’ll have to check the movie out!
Love her planning to get safely over the gate! Traditions at my house just continued to change every year as my children grew into adulthood. It’s always interesting to see what will be new each year.
What cracks me up about her planning is that she must’ve tried it without the chairs to know she would do better with them. And how she set them up 🙂 Too funny! The traditions changed as I aged too – it’s fun to watch them now as the parent and wonder what is going to happen next!
You have a treasure..
Thank you so much!
You are wellcome
😁 Totally love this post! The pics are great, and the “donkey” costume is witty, but the actress makes it go! Blessings to your home in 2020!
Thank you so much, Jeff! Blessings to your home in 2020 as well!