The Christmas Turtle Strikes Again!

It's been a few years since we've had a visit from the Christmas Turtle, but he (she?) came today!  Sis found a bag with a present in it under the tree, which we know wasn't there earlier because we've cleaned up all the Christmas gifts and decorations except the tree and ornaments.  Of course, she's the one who spotted it--Miss Eagle Eyes--though it must have been there since before they got home from school.  Maybe he came while I was at Pilates?  Or coffee with Miss S?

Anyway, it was the Disney edition of Headbanz, the Q&A guessing game.  Sis immediately broke out the mouse ears and passed them around so we could play a few rounds before Bud had to go to kung fu.  We're not the most up-to-date family on Disney movies, so we allowed some extra hints.  I guess the Turtle knows we're going to Disney World later this year.  It was fun . . . and silly.  And hard!  Try guessing "glass slipper" from yes or no questions.

Bud and Mama headed off, but Sis and I kept playing for another hour.  An hour!  Curled up together on the couch, we took turns guessing.  If it were a movie she hadn't seen, like all the Cinderella clues, I gave her another one.  She let me slide with guesses like "that turtle in Nemo" and "the big monster in Monsters, Inc."    My more Disney-savvy friends would have laughed (and I would have said I knew Disney pretty well, but I guess we just don't watch them over and over).

Well, at least we'll be more prepared for the Magic Kingdom!  Thanks, Christmas Turtle!

The Legend of the Christmas Turtle

You know about reindeer, elves, even that new Elf on a Shelf, but do you know about the Christmas Turtle? We didn't, until a woman at church mentioned him on Christmas Eve. See, Sis and Bud had received Woot shirts (pictured here at left; and you can still buy one, at the link!) with a turtle dressed like a Christmas tree and Bud wore his to Christmas Eve services. We thought it was just a cute picture; we didn't know it was real.

Santa's helpers come in all shapes, sizes, and species, indicative of the beautiful melange that is life on earth. But the Christmas Turtle, being a turtle, is slower than the other helpers, taking longer to perform his Christmas duties, which include delivering toys.

So, if you've ever found a gift under the tree a few days later, one you know wasn't there on the big day, you've been visited by the Christmas Turtle. The Christmas Turtle doesn't visit everyone, and not every year; it just depends.

And we were visited this year! We found a gift bag under the tree as we were taking it down, a gift of several Star Wars pjs for Sis and Bud. It was a sweet surprise, extending the holiday, giving a little extra joy during what is sometimes a post-holiday letdown. Now that I think on it, we had been visited before--and I remember several visits during my childhood--but I never knew why. I just figured Gommie or Mama had forgotten a gift.

Now I know. So I'm grateful to the Christmas Turtle for this last gift of the season--not the pjs, the magic.