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Post by Emilysmom on Apr 7, 2007 8:28:27 GMT -5
I totally agree with what you said Robin...........I think that I was the one who was more disappointed when I realized that I didn't have ANY children who still believed in the magic of Santa sneaking into the house and leaving them exactly what they dreamed of receiving. I clearly remember Michael telling someone "there HAS to be a Santa, because there is NO way my parents could afford all the stuff I get for Christmas"!!! And LOL he was right!
Last Christmas, we officially had NO children who believed in Santa...........BUT, all of them still received presents on Christmas morning that were wrapped in totally different paper and the tags said "From Santa" and a stocking full of gifts that were supposedly from Santa. Not sure when we'll stop doing that!!
Susan
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Post by Jackie on Apr 7, 2007 9:02:50 GMT -5
Just a question...where DID the Easter Bunny come from in the first place? It really IS absurd if you step back and think about it...a HUGE bunny hopping around all over the world hiding eggs...and all without a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer....LOL. ;D
But I was a believer!
Jackie
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Post by Cbean on Apr 7, 2007 9:04:07 GMT -5
I know a 40 something y/o with DS and a couple of 20 something y/o's that all still believe in Santa. The idea of this of course feaked me out. Not for nothing, but when Em's 40...well I may be 6 feet under. If I'm still above ground I imagine I will be very old and crooked. (Thinking physically here...but come to think of it, probably mentally as well LOL!!!) This is a running joke with Al and a friend of mine. Her son is 6 months older than Em, has DS and he & Em are arranged for marriage. We are envisioning sneaking into their apartment on Christmas Eve dressed as Mr & Mrs Claus', with our walkers and canes placing stuff under their tree. Then of course...depending on our mental capabilities at that time...we might be standing in line to have our pictures taken with Santa at the mall right with them! Nonetheless...I feel this is just one of those things you deal with the way you want to. Along with binkies, bottles and whatever else. I have a friend who allows her 15 y/o to still watch Barney, as long as it's in the home and he DOES NOT discuss it at school. He gets it. Barney is like a regressive type of stim...he wakes up before the rest of his family, sneaks down stairs, turns on the TV and he gets his little fix. The outside world has no idea and he's happy. Then the rest of the day he's more like a 15 y/o. My oldest is 7 and I am still relishing in all the "magic". Emily of course has a sib riding in the wings. With a two year difference...hoping this one will turn out typical...I suspect some of these things will simply work out on their own. This is the small stuff I look forward to sweating out. Meanwhile...I still keep checking the rabbits on our lawn to see if their laying chocolate eggs. There's somethin' out there...might resemble chocolate...but it don't look like eggs. I hope you all have a terrific Easter! With Spring in the air things are starting to really feel good. Enjoy the magic that all your littles ones (and big ones) bring you and God bless you all through the sugar rushes!!!
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Post by Tammy on Apr 7, 2007 9:14:33 GMT -5
Just have to Jump in and say here.... In Australia we dont approve of the Easter "Bunny".... We have Employed "Bilbies" (native and endangered species) to take over form the mangey old rabbit... My Girls are past believing, and like most have mentioned here...The Easter bunny thing has never really been a big deal... Christmas and Santa however...is another story!!
In our house Santa is REAL... My girls have long and often questioned the existance af Santa... Only to be told "I Believe in Santa", but if they choose not to...then that is OK... BUT.... Kids who DON'T believe in Santa, do not receive gifts from Santa, but WILL receive giftwrapped socks and undies from parents.
Strangely, our kids LOVE the whole Christmas and Santa thing as much as their Mum!!
And I dont really care much (at this time) how long it goes on for... Lewis is pretty cluey, and I am not quite so secretive these days...so I am sure that one day he will work it out like the girls did.
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Post by chasesmom on Apr 7, 2007 9:25:43 GMT -5
Oh my goodness, PLEASE remind me next year to stress to Chase which night it is that the Easter Bunny will be coming. Some of you already know that Chase has to be locked in his room for his safety at night. Well, he convinced me (when will I learn) that he really wanted to sleep in my bed with Zach and I and we could all cuddle (it was so cold) and watch a good movie (his idea was FLUSHED AWAY : and sleep together and he promised he would stay in bed and not get up. HA! Being the suspicious sort, I piled a container of hot wheels in front of the bed room door so it would make noise if he dared to open it and put the big oxygen machine outside the door and ran the hose under the door thinking I really had us blocked in with no way for escape without him creating racket enough to wake me up. You'd think I'd know better after these 14 years by now, no body's fault but mine so slap me, if he'd of gotten out or into something bad, it would have been my own fault and there will be no more conning going on in this house over where he is sleeping! To make a long story short....... the dog woke me up hitting his tail against the bed frame and I sat up because he wasnt suspose to be inmy room and there was no Chase. I am wayyyyyy too old to be juming up from a dead sleep and running ......you know? I found every light on and every cubboard open, the washer and dryer opened, the closet doors opened, the oven door opened, the shower door opened, the kitchen chairs pulled out, getting the idea here? He had thought the hairy hopper had come and he was up looking for his basket...oh did I forget to mention it was 2:45 a.m. ?? Grrrrrrr, it took me but a minute to grit my teeth and explain the trouble he was in for breaking his promise, getting up without permission, that the Bunny wasnt coming til tonight and he had 30 seconds to get in his room and into bed with his oxygen canulas and hose in tow. before anyone asks me .....yes Chase did put everything to right this morning and close every door and cubboard and push in every chair and listened to me repeat again he will NOT be sleeping in my bed. Pat.......he's older but he is still a pistol and I cant turn my back I thought you'd like to know that ;D LOLOL life is truely never boring with this man child around. hugs, Happy Easter Robin
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Post by Chris on Apr 7, 2007 11:07:02 GMT -5
My ex-husband was one of those people who didn't believe in telling your kids "lies" about Santa, the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy. When his boys and Alyssa were tiny, he would tell them that Santa was make believe. The kids still liked to pretend they believed. ;D Sarah LOVES Santa. She is so cute when she stands in front of him with her hands on her belly and says "ho, ho, ho!". ;D We haven't talked much about the Easter Bunny and this will be the first year that he hides eggs. It should be a lot of fun. Of course, Sarah is still very young so I haven't given the believing thing a lot of thought. I find it rather charming when I find older children who still believe. My guess is that many kids wish they still believed. Chris
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Post by ALLISA on Apr 7, 2007 13:37:01 GMT -5
This thread has made me smile....seeing all the different traditions...... In our house.....Connor was FREAKED out when he saw that big, tall, huge Easter Bunny at the mall......thinking back myself...I had no "image" of the Easter Bunny....I don't think there was a bunny at malls when I was little ( no comments from the peanut gallery on age !!) Well.....getting back to freaked out Connor.....bunny was NOT welcome in the bedroom.....he was TERRIFIED of a bunny coming a leaving a basket on his bed.....Santa doesn't come UPSTAIRS why does the bunny ? So the boys leave their baskets down by the front door and bunny fills and leaves there. I think when Iwas young....I didn't really believe in the bunny.....I mean....he has no sleigh, no reindeer...no elves.....I mean serioulsy how can a BUNNY do the same as Santa without all the backup support !! When my ex told Connor about Santa....I was soooo sad.....and we had a long talk....I explained that even if Santa didn't make it to EVERY house.....he is still real.....just as Mickey Mouse is real.....we went to Disney that year and EVERYONE told him "Say hi to Mickey for me".....I told him eveyone knows Mickey isn't real...yet he is real because eveyone flocks to Disney and this whole complex is there 'cause of a little mouse that isn't real. I let Connor help with Ty.....he rang jingle bells out the window one Christmas Eve to the delight of Ty.....Ty started screaming that he could hear Santa's bells.....and Connor really got to see how much fun it was to treat the little ones to Santa...... It is always sad, though when the truth comes out......but yes....I'm pretty sure Santa & Bunny will stillb e coming when the kids are older.
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Post by Becky on Apr 7, 2007 15:11:09 GMT -5
Matthew had stopped believeing in Santa by time Justin was born, but he does go along with us, becasue he tells me it was fun while he believed so he wont ruin it for Justin. What a great brother. I know he doesnt believe in the Easter Bunny, and not even sure if Justin knows whats going on or if he even cares, he just knows he gets a basket of candy and looks for eggs, so he can hunt for eggs as long as he wants, dont tell Matthew I told you this but I know he still likes to look for them allso and he is 15, LOL
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Post by Emilysmom on Apr 7, 2007 16:28:33 GMT -5
Speaking of traditions......I know many kids get new baskets (sometimes even those pre-filled baskets) each year. But we've always sort of done like we did with Christmas stockings. Each child got an easter basket when they were babies and they use the same one each year. They put it in the living room, and it's filled up when they wake up.
Robin, I have to admit that there is a part of me that really wishes that Emily DID still really believe. She's always thrilled to see what is in her Easter basket, but doesn't think that it came from a bunny. Those were the good ol' days!
Susan
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Post by ALLISA on Apr 7, 2007 20:56:55 GMT -5
Susan...yes that's what we do... all kids have "theri" basket.....speaking of wich....I have NO idea where all my Easter stuff is !! Most of it got boxed and packed when my house was on the market......it's going to be a long, late night.....
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Post by chasesmom on Apr 7, 2007 21:37:38 GMT -5
Oh yes, I use the same easter baskets too of course, that is a part of the tradition. However I havent heard alot of people mention hiding the baskets, does anyone else besides this bunny hide the easter baskets for the kids to find in the morning along with having to find eggs? the eggs are always an easy find but those baskets...well lets say the bunny has to really think to make it take more than 3o seconds worth of looking each year to find those baskets. That has always been a tradition in my family. Hmmm, I am trying to decide where to put those baskets this year, not nearly as much fun doing it alone A very Blessed Easter to you all Robin
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Post by Jackie on Apr 8, 2007 7:31:13 GMT -5
I don't think you have to "believe" in the Easter Bunny to HUNT eggs... ;D....It was a Saturday- before- Easter ritual in our household for over 30 years to dye eggs. We didn't stop this until Emily moved out. Usually we would hide about a dozen of them for her ...but a few years before she left we just ate them and gave her a basket full of Easter goodies...(hard when you have a short colon that doesn't tolerate chocolate... which you still love to eat!)
I am really jealous of all of you this morning with your 'hunts'. Katie said Emily and Hayden were busy with eggs last night...don't know if Em is hiding or hunting today...imagine hiding and making one of her infamous 'lits' of just WHERE the eggs are so the dog doesn't find them this afternoon.
Anyway...have fun and YES it was fun to hear what everyone does. Robin...hope Chase has a terrific day.
Jackie
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Post by momofrussell on Apr 9, 2007 8:21:12 GMT -5
The egg part is the best part for me!!! I remember when I was in middle school and my sis was older my mom refused to dye eggs and hide them for us LMAO.. and we would dye the eggs anyway. What is Easter without pretty dyed eggs? PAAS all the way here! We don't hide the baskets just the eggs. But we also have the same baskets every year that we put out the night before and then they get filled. Ok.. on the lying thing.... when Regan was little and Santa was in her life, I did feel weird about lying to her. I did... it felt weird on one hand because I DID feel like I was lying and I always wanted her to truly know the REAL meaning of Christmas for our house. Regan was NEVER that into it.. she didn't get excited and talk about Santa or the Easter Bunny for weeks or months like some kids do. So, I have to say when she figured out Santa at a VERY young age (she was 6), on one hand I was bummed but on the other hand, I was kinda relieved actually. Now...fast forward to Reece! TOTALLY different child and man, does SHE get emotional and REALLY REALLY into all this stuff. Reece is so over the top that we ALL (Regan included) enjoy watching the magical moments through her eyes. I think that is what I didn't experience with Regan, the magic We helped make the magic but she was just a different person about it. She loves the surprises now though ! LOL A.
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Post by Jackie on Apr 9, 2007 9:25:39 GMT -5
I was in third grade when the light dawned for me...happened on Christmas actually (bummer). My parents went all the way to perpetuate the myth and make Santa really real...sleighbells the night before...standing outside searching the skies for Rudolph..etc. That year Santa had brought me doll bunkbeds...really big ones ...and my mom said they could also be twin beds. She then took me into the closet and got down a package of four wooden knobs from the shelf to screw on top of the bottom bunks when used as twins.
Boink!...all of a sudden it hit me...and I mean it REALLY hit me...that if there was a Santa...how did the knobs get into my mothers closet...and how did she KNOW they were there?
I distinctly remember in a quavering voice saying to her...sooooo...there is NO Santa ...is there? Can't remember her answer but it must have been ...a gentle NO...and then I started crying and said...and I guess that means no Easter Bunny....or Tooth Fairy..............
My guess is that me being the oldest of four and the first to burst the bubble she was as devastated as I was...but I remember the heavy feeling I had all that Christmas and for days afterward.
Because I could still feel my disappointment even into adulthood I decided that when I had my kids I would be looser in my fantasy of holidays with them...you know...not covering up my tracks...being so secretive..etc because I wanted them to have the FUN of believing but not experiencing the let down I felt.
But...LOL...try though I did to make it seem like the "spirit" of the holidays...my kids believed as fiercely as I did. In fact David's two older sisters came to me one day and said..."Mom you HAVE to tell David about Santa...we have tried but he still got in to a fight today on the playground about there being a Santa (3rd grade ;D) and we think if YOU tell him ...he might believe you".
Sadly ...I think David experienced just what I had hoped to avoid.
But I still look back...before the disappointment ...and wish I had something in my life to equal the fantasy connected to the jolly man in the red suit. ;D
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Post by ALLISA on Apr 9, 2007 9:49:38 GMT -5
LOL......thios year Easter was a little sparse in our house......baskets were a little smaller and simpler than they have been in years past.... When the kids went to bed, Ty remembered we did not leave any carrots for the bunny....I said I have no carrots....but I'll leave him some lettuce...... Well....I didn;t leave the lettuce out....needed it for salad on Easter Dinner........when Ty asked me if I left anythign for the bunny.....I said no I forgot.....to which he then said to his brother....."that's why we didn't get a lot of stuff in our basket this year" !! LOL !!!
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