12 Days of Christmas

In my last post I mentioned that our friends the Mosses have a Christmas tradition of secretly blessing families they know with gifts for the Twelve Days of Christmas. We loved the idea and decided to try it this year....but we're only "blessing" one family, not six. :) We chose a family we know from school - and from church - who are having such a really, really hard time financially right now. Our small little gifts certainly won't turn their lives around, but we're praying they will at least bring a little cheer to an otherwise difficult time.

Today was day three, and oh. my. goodness. we are having so much fun!! The first night the kids and I parked across the street from their house, and a few houses down. The three of us got out and snuck (sneaked?) up to the DARK house, left the gift on the porch, then raaaan back to the car trying not to bust out laughing in our excitement.

Last night, we were expecting more of the same, but when we got close to their house we could see that the porch light was on! Aaagh! I stayed in the car to keep it running, while Kloe and Jacob slinked along the front of their garage like spies and set two mini fruit baskets on the porch. From the car I was whisper-screaming, "Noooooo, not BEHIND the screen door!!" The kids raaaan back to the car and when they got in I said, "When they open their glass door, the baskets will be behind it....they might never see them!" Kloe heaved a great sigh, then for a second time bravely faced the danger of being caught, and went back to move the baskets to the other side of the door. :)

TONIGHT....tonight we got home from church late, and so I went alone after the kids were in bed. The porch light was on again! I parked a few houses down, sneaked quietly past their garage, and just as I was about to creep up onto the porch, I could see that the curtains on their front window were open!! Surely they weren't trying to catch their mystery gifter? HaHaHaHa!! :) I love it! (and....I didn't get caught. as far as I know.)

We are having such a blast doing this! The morning after we left the first gift, as we were on our way to school Kloe grinned a huge grin and, in that same voice you use when you can't WAIT for someone to open that PERFECT Christmas present, she squealed, "They're finding their present right now!" We have been giggly and giddy about it for three days. So, so fun!

Dear Moss family, thank you so much for sharing your awesome tradition with us...albeit unintentionally. I'm hoping it will become one of our annual traditions, as well. And we will think of you (and miss you. and give you credit.) every single time we run hysterically through the dark, trying hard not to bust out laughing, secretly delivering Christmas cheer to some unsuspecting family.

Merry Christmas!