Merry Christmas

Yes, Sammy, There Is A Santa Claus

I found this old article from the New York Sun (I've pasted the actual text below) and it made me start thinking about Sammy... this is probably the last year that he'll believe, unquestioning, about the magic of Santa Claus. You see - he's 7 this year and will turn 8 in July. I remember being a young child and it was about this time that some of the "cooler and smarter" kids at school started talking about Santa Claus being "fake" or "not real." I didn't know what to believe, but I certainly started asking the questions at this time... and eventually, as with all of us, my questioning was justified.

Well - as we cross this threshold of life, I just wanted to take a moment to think about the power of Christmas for little children and how magical it is to them. At some point, for me, all of this disappeared and Christmas became about getting everything done, or making sure we had enough money to buy all of the necessary gifts. It became something, most certainly, unmagical. (Is that a word - spell check says no.) Anyway - I urge everyone to take a moment, read the writing from 1897 that is below, and think about the magic in our life this Christmas. While we may know the truth about Santa, the magic is NOT gone. Think about the magic of love, the magic of children, the magic of togetherness... and don't forget that magic can exist in life - even if it isn't fat and wearing a red suit.

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus
The New York Sun - 1897

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
- Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

War... What Is It Good For?

Immediately following a wonderful weekend in Harrisburg with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Siblings - we took the kids to the Civil War Museum on our way home from Harrisburg. We went from saying things like, "Christmas is all about family, togetherness, and love." to explaining slavery to 5 year olds.

I'm not sure why I was unprepared for this today but I had some tough conversations with the kids at the museum that were equally as difficult for me (to find the proper words) as it was for the them to grasp the concept, I think. James couldn't understand why a man was in shackles and behind bars if he wasn't a "bad" man. Anna wanted to know what all of those bumps on the black man's back were? Ella was asking questions about how people could be for sale and why a mommy and her son would be sold to different owners. Sammy did the museum created scavenger hunt and Robby really wanted to play with the guns (the picture on the right is of him hiding behind some sandbags to avoid The Confederate attacks). Anyway - the answers to their questions eventually started flowing out of my mouth and I had a real moment of clarity. As I was explaining some of the more shameful pieces of US History to four innocent Kindergarteners, it hit me that the main thing that should be communicated to them is - in our country's past some groups of people were treated really badly because of the color of their skin. And the reason that this museum is here is for us to learn about what happened - so that we can make sure that it never happens again. That ended up being the message of the day for the kids.

It's funny - when we were snowed in and sitting around the fire with our loved ones we appreciated being together and the love that we all felt - when we were learning about the concept of slavery and war - we ended up appreciating it even more.

Anyway - here's a picture of Anna in front of a gun.

Morris Quadruplets Videocast Premiere!

Introducing our latest venture... The Quadcast Videocast. This is our first attempt at a videocast and I'm hoping to return to blogging and sharing our family experiences with you in the upcoming weeks and months! Enjoy and I'll talk to all of you soon!

Happy Holidays!

2 Points!

Picture this... craziness. Kids are running in the house after a long day. It's 7:30 and they are tired, hungry, and excited to see their Daddy. Nobody is listening, everyone is fighting, and a select few children are actually crying.

Me: Guys... guys... guys...

Anna: Whaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

Sammy: Nooo... stop it! Stop touching me!

Robby: I'm NOT touching you.

Anna: Whaaaa!!!!!

Ella: STOOOOPPP CRRRYYYIIINNNGG!!!

Sammy: Yes you ARE TOUCHING ME!!!

Robby: Na-ah.

James: Hi Dad! I missed you.

Anna: Whaaa!!!

Me: Guys.. seriously - chill out.

Anna: Whaaaa!

Sammy: Daddy - tell Robby to stop touching me!

Robby: I'M NOT TOUCHING YOU!

Sammy: YES YOU ARE!!!

Anna: Whaaaaa!

James: Hi Dad.

Ella: I'm HUNGRY!!

Anna: Whaaaa!

Me: GUYS!

Anna: Whaaa!

Ella: What can I EEEEAAATTT!?!?

Sammy: ROB!

Me: QUIET!!!!!

Anna: Whaaaaaa!!!

James: DADDY - I SAID HELLO.

Anna: Whaaaa!!!!!

Me: Ok - 5 points for anyone who puts their school bag on the hooks.

Then... silence.

They shut-up and jumped into the tasks given to them. My kids are so competitive it's ridiculous. I don't know if this is a good thing or a complex at this point. As soon as I assigned arbitrary "points" to the task they immediately shut-up, focused, and became angels (albeit incredibly competitive and intense angels.) Never mind that the "points" actually mean nothing. This was completely out of the blue. We have no points reward system or anything like that. I just said the word "points" and they instinctively wanted them and did whatever was asked. The rest of the night kinda went like this:

Ok - 2 points to anyone who clears their plates.

1 point for each piece of laundry gets put into the laundry room.

3 points if you go up and get in the tub.

Amazing. I have no idea where they got this competitive nature.... oh - did I tell you that this week (following a year filled with a fantasy baseball league (where I made the semi-finals) and two football leagues) I decided to start a fantasy hockey league even though I know NOTHING about hockey outside of the Pittsburgh Penguins? So yeah - I have no idea where they get it.