Federation Breakfast with Santa - 2003

Breakfast with Santa 2008

Every year since, well, since I've been born, I've attended the annual Breakfast with Santa at the life insurance company my paternal Great-Grandfather helped found. I've documented those wonderful mornings in both of the last two years.

This year we took our four and two of my nieces to the much-slimmed down affair, which again featured cookie decorating for the kids.













This was followed by a craft project where the kids made their own paper ornament, with some help from Mom.













For me the best part of these gigs was always the sausage, but a close second was the great gifts that were given to the kids. YaYa took home an art project to create a Tinkerbell mosiac window, right up her alley in theme and practice:



LuLu picked up a arts and crafts kit to make beaded necklaces and bracelets



Smiley walked away with a Shark dunking booth game for the tub. You attach a shelf to the bathroom tile with a suction cup and place the shark on top. You then take aim for the bullseye with a rubber fish toy they provide and if you hit it dead on the shark takes the plunge. He had a blast with it later that night. As a matter of fact, he used it again mere minutes ago.



Lump got a pink gloworm. For years I wanted to get our babies a gloworm but never did, and now we have not one but two!



Then they went to say 'thank you' to Santa.









This last shot was a second too late, as YaYa gave Santa a great hug and a thank you. It was bittersweet to me because she no longer believes in Santa. She asked Lisa flat out if he was real and she, as is our practice, told her the truth. So the Easter Bunny, St. Nick, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy are now unmasked. I wished I could have got the shot, because by this time next year I doubt she'll even be willing to play-act.



A very fun activity, and one I hope continues to the time of my Grandkids.

Santa and our 1st Ever Real Tree

We just passed the 50% return rate on our Christmas Cards - 55 out (a short list this year) and 30 in.

[In '04 I wrote about our love of Christmas cards. This post prompted a hissy from a co-worker who found my practice objectionable. I really have no point behind bringing this up, other than to link to the post, so let's move on.]

* * * * *

We once again attended my life insurance companies' Breakfast w/ Santa, which has deteriorated from a catered pancake breakfast with wrapped gifts for the kids to a homemade breakfast, to Pizza w/ Santa, to the current 'Decorate Cookies with Santa' and unwrapped gifts.

I fear the tradition's time is short.

Here's a link to last year's post. This year the kids came straight from Grandma's so no one was dressed to the nines.

But, this year's gig turned out to be more fun for the kids than expected.

These are the first ever pics of the Slapinions 4 with Santa, and to date the latest.

By the gift room there was a photo collage of the company's history (my Great-Grandfather was around for the founding, and my paternal Grandmother was Women's President). Here's a photo of them, my Grandparents being 3rd and 4th from the left.  [happy Katie? lol]

the kids colored in Catholic/Polish coloring books that were provided.

Smiley got a Barrel of Monkeys

LuLu got a mini Cabbage Patch doll

and YaYa got a Pretty Pretty Princess game.

Lauren was shafted. 90 years of involvement in the company and they wouldn't take my word on the fact that a policy was on the way for her. They aren't very friendly to me and my family, although my section of the clan hasn't done anything to them.

I was in a bit of a foul mood afterwards but quickly cheered up when we decided to get my FIRST EVER real Christmas tree. The kids were against it, quoting my Mom's anti-real tree propaganda (We'll get Ants!) but the experience of choosing the tree changed their minds.

Cost us $31, but the experience was worth it.

We took it home and put it in a chrome tree stand my wife's maternal Grandfather had used. So both our tree stands - one for real, one for artificial - both came from our respective grandparents.

Here's an early shot of the tree, with some decorations (not all). Watering it is a pain, and the pine smell is not nearly as intense as I thought it'd be, but it is still looking sharp and beautiful.

LOL, actually the pic looked a whole lot better on the camera. It must have been taken very early in the process, before things were straigtened, primped, etc. Trust me - it's an attractive tree.

Not sure what way we'll go in the future, but I'm glad our first Christmas in this house features my first ever real tree.

Breakfast with Santa December 10th

My Great-Grandfather was one of a group of people that formed a fraternal Polish life insurance company a century ago; my Grandmother was Women's President of the company until her death in 1981.

Every year that company hosts a breakfast with Santa, with each child getting a very nice, brand name gift at the end of the meal. I've been going since I was a wee lad - probably since I was born - and my kids go every year.

[For a few years they dumped the breakfast format and went with pizza, then burgers. Thankfully, they went back to pancakes this year]

Best. Breakfast Sausage. Ever.

We brought YaYa's friend (and daughter of Lisa's friend) along too.

Everything went suprisingly smooth, with no hiccups at all to report.

YaYa is in that 'either act really goofy or smile stiffly and artificially' stage, but she's still cute:

When YaYa was three we had her wrap up her di-di's and give them to Santa at Mayfair Mall, with a request to give them to babies who needed them. Well, we didn't do that, not with Park still a youngin', but we did have her promise Santa to give up the pacifier as she is a 'big girl'.

As of this writing, only a few hours shy of a week later, she is still di-di free.

Parker wasn't scared at all - he just wasn't keen on sitting still. He would rather just steal a candy cane and move on :)

As for the gifts, Parker first got a noisemaking hammer, but we asked for something else, as he already owned one. The lady acted like the request was a tad rude, but the boy doesn't have all that many toys - if he did we'd have just said thanks and moved on. The second time around he got a toy cell phone.

Lu got the best gift, a Little Mermaid toyCD walkman that plays miniature 'CD's' with Disny music.

YaYa's gift was a bit of a miss. It was a craft kit that converts a picture to a jigsaw puzzle. Aside from the fact that the craft was messy, largely ineffective, and quickly used up the supplies that came with it, I was impressed that she handled seeing Lu's gift like a champ, without even a whimper.

Oh, and their friend? Her Dad bought her a Barbie, which we smuggled in to Santa's helpers :)