Our Thing

One of my friends asked me, "So have you celebrated your Thing yet?"  I don't blame her, it took me awhile to get the name right too.

Last night was Pikku Joulu around here.  If you're new to our family quirks traditions, Pikku Joulu means "little Christmas" in Finnish and we've just sort of invented how we celebrate it.


If you're going to create a holiday, you may as well make it hard to pronounce, right?

We nearly had a disastrous day and I'm not talking about the major warfare that broke out all morning (un-pikku-joulu-related but still).  Or the continuing warfare that lasted through the afternoon as the kids prepared for our Pikku Joulu program.  (It's what happens when you have three bossy children.)

The real disaster was with the clam chowder.  I added waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much pepper.

And before you ask how could you do such a thing?  What were you thinking?

I don't want to talk about it OK?

I called my mom for help and she wasn't home.

My dad told me to strain the soup, salvaging the clams and potatoes and celery and start over from there.  My dad.  He's my go to guy.

I did that and started over with the butter and flour and milk (and no pepper thankyouverymuch).  With the emergency supply of clam chowder Adam picked up at Safeway to supplement my now dwindled soup, it all turned out very delicious. 

So now we have a new recipe?  It's a multi step process:  first ruin the soup, drain it, start over, add more soup from Safeway.  Complex but there you go.

For the program which all worked out in the end despite Mark threatening to quit three hundred times thoughout the afternoon. (Sound familiar Marianne and Olivia?)

I just got to sit back and watch (I was holding the "program" because Mark was the Master of Ceremonies and I was in charge of helping him).

The kids showcased some talents:  Braeden and Emma played some Christmas songs on the piano and Mark showed a Lego ship.  Not very Christmas like but very Mark like.

Braeden directed a play in which they first showed "Christmas in America".  Mark was Samuel the Lamanite, Emma threw rolled up socks at him and Braeden was the narrator:

They changed costumes and sets (we had to close our eyes) and the best part of the program (and by best I mean most entertaining), they acted out the Nativity.

There's Mary, great with child, astride her donkey which is a laundry basket with a lion head.  You try not to laugh.

Mark was the innkeeper inside the box.  Braeden (Joseph) would knock on the door and Mark took great pleasure in turning him away.

We rounded out the evening with treats (and by rounded out I mean we all look a little bit rounder from all the goodies).

I love Christmas (little and otherwise).

I love traditions.

I love my family.

And I love that we still have a kitchen full of good things to eat.