Blogmas – December 1st

Advent Activities - Write a Letter to Santa

As I mentioned in my Advent traditions article, this year we’re trying something new - an activity Advent calendar. Brilliant idea or total disaster? I’ll let you know at the end of the month.

For now, I’m keeping a daily journal of how each activity unfolds. If nothing else, I hope it gives you a little inspiration—and gives me the courage to keep going.

December 1st – Write a Letter to Santa

The girls currently belong to two very distinct Christmas teams:

• Team Believes the Magic Is Real – Olivia, eight years old

• Team Knows Exactly Who Creates the Magic – Zoe, ten years old

So when I planned today’s activity, I was a bit nervous about how Zoe might react.

In the morning, Olivia announced that she would let Santa choose her gift, but she would write the letter anyway. Zoe, on the other hand, kept giving me these knowing, conspiratorial looks without saying a word.

I was relieved to think we were starting the month with something simple—or so I thought.

Because the truth is, the mood in the evening can depend entirely on how the day has gone. And Zoe had clearly had a tough one. On the way home she pushed every limit she could find, and after a solid hour of antagonizing her sister, she finally picked the fight she seemed to be heading toward all along. It ended with her deciding she needed time alone in her room and wouldn’t be joining the activity.

Meanwhile, Olivia couldn’t have been more excited. It turns out she already had her letter prepared days ago, but she still wanted to flip through the El Corte Inglés Christmas catalog—a local tradition in itself. Every year the retailer prints a thick, free, toy-packed guide that kids absolutely adore.

After we browsed it together, she decided to make a few tweaks to her original letter. In the end, she created a beautiful collage: a sheet of paper with photos of her favorite toys and a sweet message to Santa explaining that these were only ideas and he could choose whatever he thought was best.

She even brought me a piece of paper so I could write my own list to Santa.

At some point, the Christmas songs must have worked their magic, because Zoe reappeared and sat down with us. The mood hadn’t fully lifted, but she wanted to reconnect. She didn’t feel like writing a letter, though—she simply said that Santa could decide and gave me that same complicit look again.

And that was our Day 1. Not perfect, a little messy, but in its own way… very us.

Bisous,

Cristina