The Christmas Wrap-Up

After weeks of the build-up, the anticipation, the shopping (my god, the shopping) I finally made Christmas happen. As you know, Helena's big gift this year was a pet turtle. Five trips to Petsmart and over $300 later, a pet turtle is what she got. Am I the only one who didn't know that tortoises were upwards of $130?? I also failed to factor in the aquarium, the heat lamps and pads, thermometers, wading pool, bedding, food, shell wax, vitamins, and a little cave for him to hide – as if wearing a shell weren't enough. *phew*

We had been shutting Helena out of the room for the past week in an effort to keep the turtle a surprise. I managed to get her to sleep in her own bed every night, which I'm hoping will be a habit that will stick. Merry Christmas to me. Generally, besides my big planned gift for the year, my Christmas shopping pattern has no rhyme or reason. There's no strategy or list-checking. I see something I like, I get it. Then, when Christmas Eve rolls around, I realize how much I have actually purchased and end up wrapping everything until 3 o'clock in the morning. Did I forget to mention I am a huge procrastinator?

Needless to say, when the wake-up knock came at the door at 7AM, I wasn't quite prepared for it. Since she had been locked out, she only politely knocked and obliged when I asked her to come back again later. With the anticipation of all of those presents, I was even able to get her to clean her room before a single piece of paper was ripped open.

For the first present, we decided to take a cue from a Jimmy Kimmel stunt my sister told me about, and let her open something she would hate. I could tell you about it, or I could just show you. But I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed with her logical analysis of the gifts:



In the true nature of Christmas spirit, Helena regifted her pickles and mustard to Jordon, knowing he would like it much more than her. She would gladly take the Cabbage Patch Dolls, Cocoa Puffs, and Dippin' Dots maker. Yes, I wrapped up a box of Cocoa Puffs for her... just like Santa Claus would.
 

 

  

 

 

 
I should mention that I am not only a parent to Helena. No, I don't have some secret love child that nobody knows about. And before you get all excited, Mom, I'm not pregnant. But I had a boy long before Helena ever came to be, and his name is Bula. Bula is most likely the smartest, mellowist, and most endearing creature I have ever known (and in my family, we've had a ton of pets). But none compare to him. And this video of him opening his own Christmas presents is Reason #482 of why he is the best dog ever and all other dogs shall cower in his presence.


And, in case you were wondering... that is True Blue by Madonna playing on Helena's new record in the background.

Nearly two hours after opening the presents, she still wasn't privy to the turtle. There was a part of me that expected her to be upset that there were things she had asked for and didn't get. But she was appreciative of everything she got and couldn't wait to get into it all. At 10AM, she was asking me to paint rocks and make Dippin' Dots already. But with a little sneaking around on our part, Jordon and I got the turtle setup on Helena's dresser and when I asked her to get something out of her room, she was in for a surprise (which took her a couple seconds to notice):

 

We ended the absolutely perfect holiday with a traditional Christmas ham, played games, and lit some sparklers in the back. So many laughs and good memories. I couldn't have envisioned it being any better.