Recently, in preparation for the joyous season, I took my son to the local Catholic book/gift store by the church. We picked up some items, ornaments and a beautiful advent calendar with the Holy Family, glitter and all. It was $6 (or close to that). I learned that they should only be about $2 and have CHOCOLATE in them. This was news to me. I'd never had one with anything but little doors to various things.
Our children also heard about the chocolate ones from their friends at school. I played it off that those friends aren't Catholic and they probably don't have the Holy Family. This argument was smashed at church. They make them with BOTH. Who'da known? Not me, obviously. They were still Ok with their beautiful, glittery one.
Today, I had my son with me at the grocery store. We saw the chocolate ones with Santa, reindeer, toys, etc. $1.95. Done.
We chose two to go along with the original, brought them home and they each chose one.
Being the control freak I am, I told them they couldn't eat the back log of chocolate. Our son is learning this game and sucked up immediately with, "Of course not, mommy. I'm just grateful to open them on the other days and just eat one a day." Good boy. He's four.
She, on the other hand...
SHE, before giving up the back log of chocolates to be put into the pile of chocolate for fudge making wanted to hold back two just in case some of the other doors had something wrong and were missing their chocolates. She proceeded to open all the doors and check. What a surprise - they each had a chocolate. She attempted to close the doors and they would no longer stay closed.
Her advent calendar now is on her dresser, flat, with most of the doors ajar.
In spite of having two calendars, they are still fighting over who gets to open the original glittery one with baby Jesus each day. They know my fudge is better than the chocolate in the calendars and have asked if they can trade the chocolate disk for a small piece of fudge each day.
I'm not that much of a control freak, especially when a compliment is veiling the true motive.
"Of course you can" I tell them, "but I'm choosing the size." I can't give it up completely.
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