Christmas In April

One of the most interesting things happening in our family at the moment is watching Ava's mind develop through the concepts she invents, embraces and won't let go. When we returned from our trip to Disney late last year, she told us almost every night for weeks that she wanted to go back and "live there," a sentiment she continues to express from time to time, in vivid detail. Whenever we let the girls know about a planned vacation, Ava is the one who asks "in how many days," and "for how many days," basically every day, until we leave.

A couple of months ago, out of nowhere, she said she wanted to start working on her Christmas List, and since we try to live in the land of "anything is possible" - as opposed to, "well, let's see... you're almost a year early, so let's say no for now" - we dutifully wandered over to the iMac and opened up a new file called Ava's 2008 Christmas List.

Every few days, typically before she goes to bed or right after she wakes up, Ava will request an addition (or additions) to the list, and the document has continued to evolve, our own little Rosetta Stone into what she's currently thinking about or fixated on. "Don't forget, Dad, I want to put this on my Christmas list," she'll say. "OK? Don't forget." The presence of the list has also offered an early opportunity to apply seasonal shock and awe, in the form of an occasional threat to hit the delete button, which has proven to be an extremely effective disciplinary technique in moments of severe distress.

We're not doing a lot of editing right now, since we still have more than eight months to come up with messages able to convince our headstrong and very specific 5-year-old that there really is no such thing as a robot able to deliver Rice Krispies on demand, or need for her to have gift cards to a supermarket, or that much Play-Doh in the world.

Here is the current list, as dictated:

All the colors of Fun-Tak

Silly Putty

Play-Doh

Medium cans of Play-Doh, every color

Foamy paper, no sticky backs

Little cans of Play-Doh too

Mickey’s Christmas (movie)

Shrek 1 and Shrek 2

Two big Leprechaun books – one what they are like, another how to catch them, and learning how they talk and what they like to eat and what movies they like

Three books about outer space

Two books about (school) principals

One book about dinosaurs

Three BIG Dr. Seuss books

All of the iCarly movies

One big fairy tale book… three little pigs, the wolf, etc.

Big Cruella De Vil book – fat

Big Pocahontas book, with a lot of the Pocahontas stories in it, big and fat

One huge ballerina book with all the steps

Another pack of medium cans of Play-Doh for my shop

Robot that has Chocolate Rice Krispies and they will give them to me and if I want milk on it too they will give me milk too

Different robot with regular Rice Krispies, same thing

Little robot that will clean up any room, and one that will play with me when I’m outside

Robot that can dance with me, and will sing and take my radio’s place. And a ballet one that will teach me some ballet moves

Play-Doh robot that will make big cans of Play-Doh

Sand Play-Doh in every color

Lady and the Tramp 2

Knuffle Bunny 1, 2 and movie

Eraser pack and a box of erasers, medium-sized box with lots of erasers in it

All the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies there are… on one disc

Gift cards – from Stop & Shop, Fairway and Five from Target

Big box full of all the gift cards from all the stores in Aruba, Vermont, home and Disney

To be continued...