Little bear gets ready for Christmas

I should have known things were going too well. 

I didn't make a list this year, so I am a bit on the back foot.  As far as I can see no-one has missed anything and apart from possibly being short a card or two, I am pretty okay.  I am currently at the pendulum swing of thinking little bear hasn't enough - though as I type I am surrounded by gifts for him from his uncles, his aunts, his grandfather and various friends.  We can hardly move for Christmas/birthday presents for little bear. 

Yesterday little bear confidently hit OH for six when he told his auntie that what he really wanted for Christmas was a DS XL with Mario Brothers on it.  OH was stunned, it was the first he had heard of it.  'Have you told anyone about this?' he asked little bear.  Little bear nodded confidently.  'I wrote it on a list at school.'  'Did you tell mummy?' asked OH.  'No, I wrote it on a list at school.' Little bear said, and turned back to charming my sister in law. 

I did actually ask little bear what he wanted earlier on in the month, but somehow everything tended to veer off at a tangent usually involving sweets or computer time.  So little bear wants a DS XL with Mario Brothers on it, and he could have probably had it - had we known about the dratted thing.  As I am worried that little bear gets things a bit too easily, we have agreed with him that he can earn it (as it wasn't on the list that Santa had sent us).  He earned his huggle buddies hideaway, which cost £25 and each box he had to fill came to around 50p.  So he has to fill around 250 boxes with ticks for homework done without complaint, team points earned at school, helping out in the house - and to be fair I have said that any money he is given can be put towards it as well.  It's all agreed.  Little bear was very clear about it, and in a few years I think he will want to get this sort of thing in affidavit form.

At a lull this afternoon I looked panic stricken at OH - I hadn't got a stocking ready for him.  I had stocking fillers, but no stocking.  'Don't worry, little bear has never mentioned it, he has probably forgotten about it - we don't need to bother.  It will be fine.' OH said confidently.  Around one hour and forty five minutes later little bear was asking where his stocking was.  We settled on a pillow case (which I think is a bit greedy, but it does at a pinch).  However as I have typed I have remembered a personalised minecraft shoe bag that could be the pillow case transformed...  I shall get a second opinion on this.

And one gift has already been given.  In the afternoon I had asked OH whether he had heard movement in the attic.  OH agreed that he had heard footsteps, and so had darling father.  There were no footsteps, of course, but this meant that when little bear spotted that we had switched his ceiling lampshade for a Ben10 one (we had hoped he wouldn't notice until Christmas morning) we could say that Santa must have put it in place when he was checking that he could get in earlier.  OH and I agreed that it was on the list that Santa sent us earlier, so Santa must have put it up early to avoid any hassle in the dark later on. 

In a few years it will be a token socks together with a 'big' present.  Until then, I hope I can make this magical.