I SWEAR it isn’t me!  I keep Christmas uber simple.  Decorations up.  Presents sent to family in Colorado.  Kids get three presents each (3 presents for Jesus and 3 presents for them!).  Simple.  It’s the rest of the world and “Aspie Moments” that makes it CRAZY for Moms.  Teacher presents, holiday dinners, holiday parties, office parties, presents for the bus drivers, secret Santa presents … oh and the real kicker …. family arriving a full 3 days before I thought they were (thank you husband!). Toss in the high school finals, final projects and more final assignments.  SERIOUSLY PEOPLE!!!!  

This is supposed to be a time of cheer, roasting chestnuts and singing yuletide carols by a fire.

I’ve been managing so far (with the minor exception of leaving my car running when we went in to a restaurant for a 1.5 hour dinner over the weekend — couldn’t find my keys when we got ready to leave — oh, there they are IN MY RUNNING CAR!).  This morning was the real challenge.  First of all, I woke up thinking it was Saturday.  Rolled over to the cool side of my bed and thought I would sleep another hour or so… ahhhh.  Bammo – “MOM WHY AREN’T YOU AWAKE!!!!”  Holy crappers – I think I may have had a minor stroke jumping from the comfort of my cool sheets right into action with the “tribe of 5”.  

The kicker came on the way to dropping everyone everywhere this morning.  My oldest (with Aspergers) let the entire car know that “Santa can’t be watching because he isn’t real.  And I’m not sure that Elf, John Henry, he is real either”.  Yep. Right out there for the little ones to hear.  My oldest daughter (with special needs) may have the kindest heart I have ever known.  She not only still believes in Santa, she actually prays for him through the entire year.  Since my hands were on the wheel of a giant Suburban, I couldn’t quite turn around to give him the “Mom of an Aspie kid” look — the one where my eyes get big and I make the shhhhhhhhh sign while turning a few shades of red.  This usually happens when we are in public and he notices something strange that he decides he should comment on …. I’ll save those classics for another blog post.

I had little time to react to the Santa and John Henry the Elf moment.  I turned up “have a holly jolly Christmas” and started singing along.  The little ones joined in finally, but I could tell they were processing the horrific news that big brother had decided to share.  As everyone was leaving the car, my oldest daughter patted me on the shoulder, “Mom, don’t worry about him.  I think Santa will forgive him this one time, but Rudolph and John Henry are really mad.”  

Two special needs kids made my day.  One deciding to share the facts and only the facts (love Aspie Moments).  The best, realizing my daughter with the most giant heart on earth wasn’t worried about if there was a Santa and Elf named John Henry.  She was more worried that Santa would be sad and not bring her brother any presents this year.  

I learned something today …. Santa has a forgiving heart, but don’t piss off Rudolph!!