Wii hope you had a Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated Advent all month long as we usually do. This year Fatso read to us from Bartholomew’s Passage each night.

Several years ago Prince Charming introduced the idea of a Christmas Eve Silent Service (in the Quaker tradition). That particular year our kids were too young for something like that. This year someone decided it was time to do it again. It was really, really amazing. You can’t imagine what it is like without experiencing it, I don’t think, and I’m not sure how to describe it. We just sat there and focused on God. I know Space Cadet and Fatso enjoyed it. Czarina fidgeted A LOT. But it was a great time to stop and focus on God’s gift that we celebrate at Christmas.

We made a rule when the kids were younger that no presents could be open without the entire family, and that we would not open presents before 7 am. Czarina’s first Christmas with us was in 2005, when she was here with the hosting program. She did NOT want to get up in the morning. Fatso and Hoodie Girl pulled her out from UNDER the bed.

Well, I found out this month that 2005 was the first year she’d EVER celebrated Christmas. She had no idea what to expect! And it had never occurred to any of us that she wouldn’t know.

(After the 1917 revolution, Christmas was banned in Russia for more than 70 years. Some people started celebrating again in the early 90’s, but apparently no one Anastasia knew celebrated Christmas, and they didn’t celebrate it in the orphanage.)

This was Anastasia’s third American Christmas (she was in Russia in 2006), and she was really into it!

After we all opened our presents (one present at a time), the kids noticed a little gift bag left behind the tree. The label said, “To the Millers”. They decided to open it together, pulled out some tissue paper, and then pulled out a couple of remotes. . . to a Wii? They were a bit confused. “Did you buy us a Wii?” I told them to look in a drawer, and all pandemonium broke loose. “We have a Wii! We have a Wii!” They were so excited I was afraid one of them was going to lose control and wee. . .

Then Fatso stopped and asked, “Mom, how could you afford a Wii in today’s tough economic times?”

“If you’re really worried about it, I could take it back,” I replied.

Fatso didn’t think that would be necessary. . .