So, I almost forgot to be St. Nicholas last night.  No, I actually forgot — just before bed, Benjamin asked, “So, does St. Nicholas come tomorrow?”  I’d been talking to him about it for a few days, I’d done all the requisite shopping, but yesterday afternoon it slipped my mind.

I’m so glad he remembered.  So, we reassured him that he would come, and put the boys to bed.  After they were asleep, I enjoyed playing St. Nicholas — I put treats and small toys into their shoes so they could find them this morning.

When Benjamin first woke up, it was the first thing he asked about (or so I hear:  Dan got up with him this morning and neglected to come and get me up before showing him the gifts, which was a little disappointing — I might have to set the Krampus after him).  He was so excited to see what had been left for him.  When he first saw his small box of chocolate, he pointed to it and said that one was for him and one was for Liam . . . Liam had his own box, but Benjamin hadn’t seen it yet.  (I love my sweet boys so much.)  When I got up a few minutes later, he was very excited to show me not just what had been left for him, but also what was waiting for Liam when he got up.

Liam didn’t get up until Dan & Benjamin had left for school, but he was pretty excited about his toy (a finger puppet that I thought was a moose, but Benjamin informed me was actually a reindeer, which makes sense) and about his own chocolate, which he ate all by himself.

This afternoon, our neighbor came over to play with the boys so that I could do some things around the house.  She and her sister have been doing this for a few weeks, and it’s great — it gives the boys someone, other than me, to play with; it gives me a chance to get some little things done around the house that are hard to do with “help” from the boys; and it’s nice to have their company, as well.  She also brought chocolates for the boys which had been “left at her house for them by St. Nicholas”.  It was another nice surprise for today.

And then tomorrow, St. Nicholas comes to see Benjamin at school, which I hope he enjoys.  This whole St. Nicholas thing is new to us, but our first attempt seems to have been a success.