You may recall that last week’s kick-off to the Advent festivities at our house deteriorated into fighting, screaming, a coin toss, and, eventually, a declaration (by me) that all fun Advent activities would cease at once and until further notice. (We did keep up our Advent wreath practice before dinner each night, however.)
So this morning I asked Chiara if maybe she’d like to retrieve the wooden Advent calendar from the basement, along with the Playmobil Nativity set, and the little Advent Christmas tree. Her immediate reaction was a panicked, “NO!” That seemed curious, so I persisted. In a teary voice, she said that she didn’t want to take out the Advent activities because she was afraid there would be more fighting.
Hmmmm…Things were getting curiouser and curiouser.
Finally, and without any further interrogation from me or Dennis, Chiara first said, “Promise you won’t yell at me.” Uh oh.
Then she blurted out that she and Olivia had retrieved the Advent calendar from the basement all on their own and had hidden it in Olivia’s closet, where they were partaking in Advent festivities covertly (she didn’t use that word) throughout the week. See the photo above? That’s the calendar in back of the clothes and right next to the Tin Man piggy bank in Olivia’s very unorganized closet. Olivia was apparently the mastermind of this scheme, although she’s at a friend’s house right now and is, therefore, unable to testify in her own defense.
I couldn’t stop laughing (despite the fact that my middle child seems hell bent on a life of crime). We need an Advent intervention over here. I’m going to declare a do-over today. We will return the Advent calendar to the hearth, put the Advent tree by the front door, and set up the Playmobil Nativity on the family room coffee table for impromptu play.
We’ll see how it goes. Check back next week to see if the girls have kicked up their Advent guerilla tactics.
