Santa Lives Across the Street

Our across-the-street neighbors haven't an inkling, I'm sure, of the delight their lawn display has added to Katy's life. In their side yard they have an inflatable Santa Claus flanked on either side by white-light Christmas trees. One evening, when Stephen took Katy to Wal-Mart, she came back in the house talking about seeing Santa. She wanted to go out and see him again. So I opened the blinds in her room to demonstrate that he was visible from her room. Before she went to bed, we opened the blinds one more time to bid him good night. I thought the whole routine was very cute, and very over after that evening, but I was wrong.

As I got up early to feed Caleb one morning, I noted that during the course of the blustery night, Santa had become somewhat deflated and lay supine on the snow. I didn't think much of it till Katy was awake and wanted to check in with Mr. Kringle. She was very concerned when she saw him, so I told her that he might be sleeping. She seemed satisfied with that, and I thought, "Whew. Crisis averted."

The cuteness has continued for about a week now. I have walked her over once to see him up close. I didn't want her to think it was a real person standing out in the cold all the time. We nearly always awake to a deflated Santa, but he was better by nightfall (coinciding, I believe, with the return of the neighbors from work). I think they might have gotten tired of fixing him, because the original Santa has now been replaced with a twice-bigger inflatable Santa. Katy saw that one and said, "Santa VERY big now." I said, "Yep. He must be eating his vegetables."
Katy: Santa like broccoli?
Me: I'm sure he does, like you.
Katy: Santa like cow-flower?
Stephen: Yes, Santa loves cow-flower.

I love moments like this. I'm excited to find out what having TWO talkers will be like. Caleb has started to make "ba ba ba" sounds, and --as much as I hate to admit it-- he distinctly said "da da" right when Stephen walked by. I'll have to get my mother-in-law to work on this MA MA MA sound that should have come first.