Christmas is always a strange holiday for foster families. Depending on where kids are on their reunification journeys, often our kids have had visits with first families on Christmas, which we’ve always encouraged and facilitated.
This year that’s not the case as Sprout’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas in any significant way (they’re Muslim), and they’re so far away (3+ hour drive) that a visit on the day of Christmas doesn’t make sense. Plus, it’s looking increasingly like she will stay with us, and therefore giving her our own family holiday experience is important.
Some years Kiddo has opted to spend Christmas Eve with us, but she didn’t this year, so we don’t have her adding to our chaos this year either. We’ll celebrate with her sometime this coming week when she pops over for a day or two during her week off of school.
Cookie had his holiday visit with his parents and one grandma yesterday, and unfortunately isn’t able to go visit other family members today or tomorrow as originally planned because that group of family members is in quarantine for Covid. At least he’s too young to remember having a different family tradition one year!
Alas, the life of a nurse complicates things for us this year, as Seth is working 12 hour shifts Christmas Day and Boxing Day. And Christmas Eve evening we are going to our church for their annual pageant and candlelit service (heaven help us, we are IN the pageant this year!). So, we set up Christmas while Sprout is napping, and she’ll get to dive into all but the one present that’s coming from “Santa” this afternoon.
We didn’t want to encourage any Santa belief. I feel weird about lying to kids and there’s so much ick around disparities in what Santa brings different kids. But Sprout picked it up from the vibes of the universe as the Santa message is everywhere this time of year, and she wholeheartedly believes. But instead of having everything come from Santa, the kids are getting one shared gift from him Christmas morning – an indoor trampoline. I hate the idea that privileged kids get tons from Santa and less privileged kids get little from Santa, and we do not want to perpetuate that cultural disparity, so in our house Santa brings just one or two fun active things for the kids.
Christmas Day itself will be a weird day for me. Mellow I hope! Perhaps we’ll watch a Christmas movie. We’ll read some Christmas books. I’ll feed the baby and nap with the kids just like any ordinary day. Perhaps Cookie will sport his Christmas bibs. My Dad will come celebrate with a nice Christmas meal on the 27th since Seth will be off that day. I refuse to cook anything elaborate for a picky toddler and a baby who just eats formula, so I’m guessing tomorrow will include such rare delicacies as Kraft macaroni and cheese and some bologna sandwiches. Ha!
Then I’m looking forward to the return to normalcy too. I like reducing the clutter in the house by putting decorations away. I like the reduced stress of the holiday being over. I shall miss the excuse to buy the kids all the fun things though!
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