Day 1938. After a long day yesterday we had another long day today. We had to leave the house half an hour earlier than yesterday, at 9:30 am, as the Christmas party was starting at 10 am. We took the subway downtown, then walked to the music school and got there right on time.
We already knew from the past two years what to expect. They had a different activity going on in each of the classrooms. Tammy headed straight for the room with the crafts, and the others followed.
I helped them, especially Emmy, with the glue and bringing the plates with stuff to glue onto their paper plates into reach for them. Rand helped Sammy with his plate. Soon they were done, and we continued on to the next room where they were playing musical chairs. The kids played a few rounds and each won a Christmas hat.
In the next room, the teacher in charge was their own teacher. They had two piles of clothes there, and Tammy and Emmy competed against each other. They had to put all the clothes on as fast as possible. Tammy soon gave up trying to put those huge clothes on, so Emmy won, even though he hadn't quite put on everything. He won his second hat that I ended up wearing.
In the next room there were two games. First they got a few rings that they had to throw and try to hit a target with. The other game was to put Rudolph's nose on a board with their eyes covered up.
We had already done all the rooms and went into the big room where the main program was going to be. It was only just after 10:30, so still early. There were two balloons in the room that several kids started playing with, including Sammy and Emmy. Emmy then befriended a little boy and kept giving him the balloon as he really wanted it. Emmy also went back to the musical chair game, and that time he won two sugar canes that he shared with his sister.
At about 11 am the program started. The founder and director spoke first, then the teachers did several Christmas songs. Next it was the kids' turn. One after another the different kids played Christmas songs.
Then finally they handed out a sheet with lyrics, and we all sang a few Christmas songs together. In the past, we used to sing a lot of songs, the kids getting really impatient, but not today. I was actually surprised, when Santa Claus already stepped through the window into the room after only a few songs. All the kids were in awe. Santa waved, said a few words and showed his three sacks full of gifts. Then he sat down, opened the first sack and started pulling out presents and calling the kids whose names were on them. Emmy was first, right in the beginning, and he was very happy. Last year he had been one of the last ones and had thought he was not getting anything. He opened it and was overjoyed, when it was the soccer gloves he'd been talking about for months. It's all he's wanted.
Tammy's name was called next. When she opened it, she didn't know at first what it was. It was a DIY unicorn night lamp. Next was Sammy. He'd been scared of Santa, even before he'd arrived he'd been fearful. Randy carried him to the front and put him on Santa's lap. Back at our seats, Randy helped him open the box, and he was very happy to find Peppa Pig in there. When you push her belly, it lights up and plays songs. Sammy held it tight and carried it around all day until going to bed with it.
People were leaving, and so we decided to leave as well, even though there were still going to sing one song at the end. We could hear them sing after we had left the room. We got dressed and walked back to the subway, but we got off half-way on our way home to go to McDonald's for lunch. We had a good time there, then rode the subway home.
It was nearly 1:30 pm by the time we were home and we only had just over an hour until leaving again. I was extremely tired and just wanted a nap, but Tammy insisted on putting her lamp together. And so I sat down with her, and we put everything into the glass bowl. In the end we put the lid on and pushed the button to turn on the light, but it didn't come on. I tried everything, even exchanged all the batteries, but to no avail. And so we're sending it back, and I've already ordered a new, different lamp for her.
After we were done, I could finally lie down for a short nap. I set my timer for 40 minutes, but of course it was Emmy who walked into the room before that and woke me up. However, it was only minutes before my alarm went off anyway. We all had to get ready to leave the house before 3 pm.
We were again all wearing the tops of our Christmas pj's, so we all had the same shirt on, but this time we all had regular pants on. They had told us what pants the kids were supposed to wear under their costumes, what colors, so that's what they were wearing. We took the subway and were together with a neighbor who also has a son in a wheelchair who goes to the school where Sammy goes to kindergarten. She then also got off where we did and walked to the other subway with us. But there she went the opposite direction. We got on the second subway and rode it to the end.
We ended up at church at 3:45 pm already, and it turned out that we could have arrived much later. But it allowed us to pick the seats right by the door where there was plenty of room for the wheelchair. They had set up tables all over the room and were busy decorating them. We sat down and waited, trying to figure out when the kids had to be where. In the end they did the practice for the dance on the stage in the sanctuary, and Tammy and Emmy danced with the others. It was only their second time ever doing the dance. They simply copied what the teacher in front of the stage was dancing.
At 4:30 pm we went to the back to get the costumes and put them on. Tammy and Sammy were kings, Magi, and Emmy a shepherd. Randy was going to carry the star, so he also got a white sheet to put on. Then we returned to the sanctuary.
At 5 pm the service started with a time of worship. The kids were rather restless, constantly moving. Once it was over, there was another few minutes of other stuff, then it was time for the first play - the one the older kids were doing. All the smaller kids were by the door, right by us, waiting for their turn. After the older kids were done, it was time.
Two people read the Christmas story in English and German, while the kids played what they were reading. Emmy walked on stage with the other shepherds and sheep. Then Randy took Tammy behind the stage so she could do the dance with the others. It worked out perfectly. They then returned to us, as it was time for the kings. Randy carried Sammy, while Tammy ran ahead of him, when she should have walked with them. For some reason there was no third king. Once on the stage, Randy put Sammy down next to Tammy who was kneeling by baby Jesus. And Sammy was doing really great. He had been very cranky for a long time, but then suddenly that crankiness had passed. The cutest thing was when he said hello to Mary, Joseph and Jesus in a loud voice. He said it a few more times, as they didn't respond, and a few people in the room chuckled. Tammy tried to put his hand on his mouth and told him to be quiet, but it didn't work. In any case, it was already time to get off the stage again anyway, and so Randy picked him up and carried him down, and everyone else also walked off the stage.
We went straight to the back to take the costumes off. Then we returned to our seats in the sanctuary. The older kids were just finishing part 2 of their play and then did a dance. The pastor then spoke for a few minutes, then we each got to pick up a candle, and the flame was passed on from the first candle in the front to all the other candles in the room. Randy ended up helping Sammy holding his, while Emmy got tired of holding his after a while, so I took it. We held the burning candles for quite a long time while singing "Silent Night" and another song. Tammy was also getting tired of holding it but held it to the end. They were all excited to blow them out.
The service then soon ended, and this year we didn't have to go to a buffet to get food, but they carried platters of food to all the tables. It felt like a feast, when they put a huge platter full of different stuff right in front of us. There was nobody at the table right next to us. The kids took food but didn't like it all, then they soon moved on to the dessert platter. We all ate plenty and ate well; it was really good.
Then a lady came to our table and started talking with Sammy. It was Sonja's best friend. We then ended up talking as well, which was a real blessing, as I had not talked with her since Sonja's death in April. After she had left, we decided it was time for us to leave as well. It was 7 pm. Sammy had been asking for Anna a whole lot, but she wasn't there.
We got dressed, walked to the subway and rode both subways home. Back home we got them ready for bed right away. They were pretty tired after this long weekend, but Tammy and Emmy still wanted to open the book advent calendar and wanted me to read the story, so I did. That way it was 8:45 pm before they were all in bed. I then turned my computer on and started working on the pictures, as I knew I had a lot of them.
