"Dou shiyou?"
The Pumpkin Princess was a good girl this year. Except for the occasional episodes of crankiness when she is tired. And that one time she put stickers all over the closet floor in the master bedroom. And when she was "helping" me make pancakes and got more flour on the counter than in the bowl. And the time she pulled out the contents of an entire box of Kleenex, one by one. And...well, never mind. I have it on good authority that Santa is bringing her a Winnie the Pooh bicycle.
The problem is when Santa will be here. If I play by the general rules, she finds it in front of the Christmas tree on the morning of the 25th. However, the 25th is a Thursday and is not a holiday in Japan. The Pumpkin Mommy and Daddy will go to work, and the Pumpkin Princess will go to day care. Thing is, will a 3 year-old girl who has just found a new bicycle in her living room leave for day care without taking it for a spin?
Or, I could decide not to play by the rules and make arrangements for Santa to come on the 23rd. It's the Emperor's Birthday, and a national holiday in Japan. She'll wake up, come downstairs, find the bicycle, and have the whole day to ride it as much as she likes.
So I took an informal survey among the mommies and daddies at work. Two out of three said that Santa came on the 25th, and one said that Santa came on the nearest appropriate weekend or holiday. The two who voted for the 25th had older kids who knew what day Christmas was and where Santa hid presents to lighten the load for the reindeer on Christmas Eve.
What would you do if you were in my shoes? The 23rd or the 25th?
3 comments:
Wow, that's a tough one! Since my kids are way beyond the Santa days, I gave them their "big" gift on Thanksgiving evening (it's a Wii, and it was a good way to keep them home for a bit instead of out visiting friends!).
I think I would ask the other parents at her school and try to coordinate with what they are doing so the kids don't confuse each other!
Good luck! :)
I don't really get much of a chance to talk to other parents, other than when I have PTA stuff, but if I did, I probably would try to go with the crowd.
We're currently leaning toward the 23rd, to keep the Pumpkin Mommy stress level down...
I don't think Pumpkin Princess or any little kids on this planet (age below 6) are gonna mind the date that much, cos having the present is the only thing they've been waiting for.
If Pumpkin Princess asks about the date, "Why I have my present before 25th, Mommy?"
Just make up a lovely excuse for it, such as, "Cos on the 25th, Santa is gonna be so busy delivering presents in the USA and Europe areas."
Then if she's interested with the areas, you have a good start of teaching her a bit of map reading and geography.
Good luck (^_^)v
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