I made the first of two Christmas Crazy deliveries this weekend, which it's a darn good thing I gave up on trying to get it all delivered in one weekend. I returned home to find 20 more boxes and since then, that pile has doubled. Shipping delays, what?
It is truly the best sort of problem to have.
I will have photos and lots to say about the delivery once the whole thing is wrapped up, but for now, let me just tell you about how Mila made the process SUPER interesting this year.
Each year, as you likely know, I build a mountain out of the toys so I can take a "final" photo. I have this issue with stuff getting delivered after I think I'm done every single year, so there's always a few things missing from the photo, but it's as close to a full representation of your generosity as I can get. The girls are pretty used to the whole thing by now. In fact, about half way through the construction, Mila walked into the room and cheerily proclaimed, "Holy moly! There are so many toys!"
Alexis, the kid who has 12 years of experience at this thing, rolled her eyes and flatly replied, "It always looks like that." She could not possibly have been more bored by it all. Apparently nobody told her there is a pandemic and so many people are out of work right now and struggling. I personally never for a second thought we would be kissing our usual total.
We're going to hit it, by the way. I have a pickup to do on Friday that will get us there. I don't know how, but even in the most challenging of times, we're going to get there.
ANYWAY.
Mila was impressed. Alexis was bored. That's how it came to be that Mila decided she was going to help me. She started sorting toys - Barbies go together, for example. About every third toy, she would be like, "I would like this for Christmas, too!" It was cute for a minute or two, but then I needed her to focus. We had work to do.
So, I suggested Mila figure out the 2-3 things that she wanted the most. Santa might as well hear what she wants, right? She did that. She found the 2-3 things she wants most, but apparently she thought I meant I wanted to know what she wants from us the most? Santa wasn't even on the table.
I know Santa wasn't on the table because Santa got every single other thing she wanted. His list is now MILES long, and that list is being delivered to Santa by our Elf on the Shelf, Brittney.
Mila legit started taking toys over to her Elf and showing the Elf every single thing Santa should consider. "Brittney, please tell Santa I would like one of these. See it?" Dozens of things. DOZENS were taken to Brittney and displayed for clarity.
Every year the mountain construction project takes longer than I expect. This year at least I have an explanation as to why.