25 Days of Christmas - Day 1: Nostalgia and Breakfast with Santa

Day One: Nostalgia and Breakfast with Santa 

We kicked off our 25 Days of Christmas at "Breakfast with Santa" this morning.  The First Baptist Church in our town hosted this little event, and we really enjoyed it!  It is no lie that children make Christmas more exciting.  Their innocent little hearts are so full of wonder, excitement, and hope that it is contagious.  That was how this morning was for us.

Our baby birds were all a twitter... sometimes due to the excitement over their chance to see Santa and tell him their wish for the season, and other times because mommy wouldn't let them take their shoes off and have a dance party.  After a long fifteen minutes, we FINALLY made it to Santa. Papa Noel. The Big Guy. That Jolly Old Elf.  

Ellie wasn't sure she wanted to let go of Mommy to meet Santa, but she did.  Then, she touched his beard and told him Merry Christmas.  Olivia jumped right in letting him know her wishes. We were so excited to see that they offered a polaroid for $1.  Totally worth it!  We did take some photos of our own, but there is something about the kind of photo that you have to shake that gives you a little bit of nostalgia right away.  I have to be honest, I would take the dark background, bright-flash picture over the well-lit, bright colored one any day.  Just look at the comparison:

The lighting. The smiles. All the feels.
  

Maybe I should have titled this post "Day One: Buy a Polaroid Camera."

Even without a super-cool camera that shoots out photos, nostalgia is very present at Christmas time anyway, and it is such a cool thing, because it happens as a result of just living your life.  Most of the time, when we feel that tug of longing for the past, we aren't recalling big events, but rather the sum of the little things that happened over time.  This is important to remember this season, because these unsuspected moments could very well be the ones that you recall and long for in the future.  So, be sure to put your phone down, mark one or two (or three) things off of your calendar, and be present.  Otherwise, you just might miss some really awesome memories happening all around you (aka future nostalgia).

Opportunities for creating fond memories seem to be around every corner of social media these days.  This was something else we thought about today.  There is always SO much to do and buy during the holiday season, and we always want the BEST for our little ones.  BUT!  This doesn't always mean it has to be expensive and over the top.  In fact, most of the time, our children don't even notice.  So, sure! There were other, similar "Breakfast with Santa" events that we could have chosen.  And, sure!  They might have been a little more glamorous than the one we went to, but at the end of the day- our baby birds left giddy with excitement about seeing Santa, receiving a new ornament, and eating a sprinkled donut for breakfast... all for a grand total of $4!

It was simple, local, and warm... just the way we like it.