Friday, December 18, 2020

Benny & Baachan Do the Town

Many years ago a particularly harrowing experience in a big box store, with eight children at Christmas time, led me to call an END to group Christmas shopping trips. I decided it would be much easier to make numerous trips than one - where eight children hide gifts from each other and store security shadows us.  Eight, because the girls left home two weeks after Stacia was born and thus their Christmas shopping extravaganzas didn't overlap. 

My practice has been to take each child (or sometimes two at a time) out for a day where they could buy ALL their Christmas gifts on one day and choose where they'd like to have lunch. It worked well. 

At this point everyone is working or driving themselves and I only have ONE child to take Christmas shopping. I  miss the outings with each one. I do not miss the bustle in the stores. LOL BEFORE COVID HIT OUR HOME I had hit on the idea of taking Bella, Gideon, and Benny out....I thought how nice it would have been for someone to take our kids out to buy gifts for us. We could have been surprised at Christmas. Time is short and we have to act if we are to make it happen.  CoRielle said they would love for me to take Benny shopping. 

Today was the first day we could make it happen post quarantine.  Stacia came with me as we had Bible study this a.m. and it would have put me late to run her home. It was fun to have her along. We pulled up at the house and I went in to get Benny....

Before I got to the door, he ran out in the yard and yelled, "Baachan! I am SO excited." 

I jumped up and down and yelled back, "Benny! I am SO excited too!" 

Cory put his car seat in my van while I went in to chat with Arielle. It turns out he had been laying by the window with his coat on -waiting. Benny had specific things he wanted to find for Cory and Arielle. He told them he would get them a CHRISTMAS moose and a CHRISTMAS airplane. I asked them if they wanted me to steer him towards a gift or let him decide. They opted to let him decide what he wanted to buy. 

We were far to focused to take photos while shopping. We shopped local.  I chose our first store to be one with reasonable prices, Christian owners, and friendly staff. The sales staff offered to help us numerous times. I explained my grandson and I were out shopping for his parents for Christmas. They seemed to enjoy bringing things to Benny for him to check out....I was diverted from the original plan several times, but Benny repeatedly told them, firmly but politely, "No, I need a moose and an airplane." 

We found all the gifts in ONE store. Somehow Benny managed to  "sneak" in a couple of gifts for himself and "Danny," too. ::wink::

Our next stop was a local restaurant for lunch. 

The final stop of the day was our home to wrap gifts. Benny explained he didn't WANT to wrap gifts...but he did want to write names on the packages. This worked for me. 

Remember when your preschoolers
wore their shirts backwards? LOVE it. 

I opened Grandpa's bedroom door, but he was dead to the world and didn't join the fun. Papa had an appointment and had to leave when we got home.  These two had more fun playing with the wrapping paper than wrapping gifts. LOL 
Benny and Auntie Yay-ya!

Such clowns! I told them to pose so I could get a photo of them with  Benny's purchases. THIS is what I got. 

I had promised to have Benny home in 3 hours. He wasn't quite ready to go home, but agreed it was a fun day and we'd better do what Mommy and Daddy asked so we could do it again next Christmas. 

I delivered Benny at home with wrapped gifts to go under the tree. He has NOT told them what the extra gifts are, nor allowed them to look under the tree. He did tell them he found a moose and airplane. 

Yes, this is how traditions begin. 

Years from now people may wonder why they see little of BreZaak's children in our blog this year. There is no big family rift. BreZaak have chosen for the kids and Bre to stay locked down until Covid passes...the kids and Bre aren't going out.