X-MAS PRESENTS AND TRADITIONS HELP (HAPPY POST!!)

[wallyworld85]

For a chance I am posting a positive post.  Although, my ex's phone is disconnected (as of yesterday) I still think (and hope) that the papers will be signed shortly and I will have my visitation.  I haven't seen her in 1 year and 1 month!.  The new agreement specifies that I get her for the first 1/2 of xmas break and starting next year I will get her for the entire xmas (every other year).

Although, I do all the driving to FL for the visitation (1500 miles ONE WAY).  Therefore, even though I only get her for 8 days I am going to drive to FL and pick her up (driving down on the 20th of Dec Picking her up the 21) Visit with my family along the way in AL for one day.  Getting home in IL on the 23 late.  Celebrating my babies first xmas and my first xmas with my 7 year old daughter at my house in ILLINOIS(the one im driving to pick up ((i was in the military and always on cruise during xmas, then my ex left me and I NEVER got her for an xmas)).

THen Drive her back december 27 to have her home with ex early Dec 28.  

Visiting three more days with my family in AL
Dec 28,29,30,

and Driving back to IL Dec 31

I have to be back to work JAN 2 so I need one day to recoop.

Now for my questions:

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO GET MY DAUGHTER FOR XMAS!  WHAT DOES A NEWLY TURNED 7 YEAR OLD LIKE (HER BIRTHDAY IS IN ONE WEEK).  

ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO START SOME XMAS TRADITIONS WITH HER AND MY INFANT SON.  ANY SUGGESTIONS?
The driving is going to suck.  BUT IT IS WORTH IT!

[MKx2]

Well ... I can't help you out on the prezzies I'm afraid, but I have some traditions that I started with DS ...

DS's birthday is just before Christmas, so we always got the tree and decorated it that day - and that was a LOOONG day with a birthday party and then tree trimming that evening!  Perhaps you could have the tree there (waiting outside) when you and your daughter arrive and you could all decorate it.

I always got a special ornament each year that I gave him - gift wrapped - that he got to open when we decorated the tree.  As an adult now, he has a collection of "special memories" for his own tree.  I still send him one for his birthday.  They make some really nifty cloth and wooden ornaments that you could have for your son ... that way as a little one he can still unwrap it, and put it on the tree "by-self" without danger to his sweet baby fingers.  Perhaps you could even decorate a special ornament for your daughter this year as it is her "1st Christmas" at least with you.  Michaels craft store has all the makings for those.  Which just gave me an idea!  You could get the makings for THREE ornaments - you and DW could make one toghether for DS and one together for DD AND DD could make one for her baby brother!  It might bring about a nice sense of family too.

[IMG SRC="http://www.gifs.net/animate/tree.gif" BORDER=0]

[/center]And there's always the stand-by traditions of pop-corn/cranberry strings.  It's a bit too non-active for boys, but perhaps your daughter would like to do that.

It's gonna be a long haul to drive, but you're right - it is going to be well worth it!  

So happy that you'll finally have a Christmas with your daughter!

[1angrystepmom]

Bratz dolls are popular with this age group.  How about a gameboy for the long car-ride back to FL??  (of course she will need a game or 2) Girls always like clothes... Games you can play as a family when she is there.  

How about a bicycle??  

As far as the traditions go....  I always crank up the Bing Crosby music, and make lots of cocoa, and have a fire roaring in the fireplace.  Since she has been in FL... she probably doesn't remember snow.  Snowmen are fun to make, and snow angels.  How about sleding??  (some of my BEST memories with my Dad are sledding!) Then of course we had the infamous "Pajama rides" we would get in our PJ's, and bring blankets in the car, then we would go look at Christmas lights (a thermos of cocoa is great for this too!!)  

MOST OF ALL, enjoy the special time with your Daughter, this is DH's FIRST Thanksgiving Day with his daughter.  She has been here since Saturday night..... So far, so good!  :)

Amber

[StPaulieGirl]

First of all, congratulations!  Lots of paper and an art set would be a good gift.  It would keep her busy in the car.  Books are good.  Winnie the Pooh, or Dr. Suess.  You could try and find older books with Mother Goose or Grimm's Fairytales.  There's a lot of cool books out there for that age range.  Clothes are great.  Check her size tags, then phone home before you start back.  Someone can pick her up something nice.  I don't think you'll be wanting to hit the stores after that drive.

This year, I bought my 9 yr old girl and 1 1/2 yr old granddaughter musical snow globes.  They have a manger scene and play "Silent Night".  I thought that if I can find little music boxes or snow globes, it would make a nice gift every year.    

Your girl probably doesn't have appropriate clothing for Illinois (brrrrr), so you might want to borrow a snow suit, or hit the thrift shops for cold weather gear.  If you all are lucky enough to get a white Christmas, she'll be out there until she freezes solid ;-)  Merry Christmas!

[lovehiskids]

BOOKS ON TAPE!!

My 3 Stepkids love them! They make the car ride go faster. You might want to also look into a tv/vcr or DVD combo that can plug into the cigarette lighter for her birthday so she can watch movies during the trip.

[lindaj]

Okay, I have a just turned (in Sept) 7 year old son, so will try to help with some "generic" gift ideas.  At this age they are really into reading "chapter books" (vs the 15 page storybooks).  One series that is really popular with my sons class is the "Junie B. Jones" books.  (I even get a kick out of these) Any Borders or Walden book store will have the whole series.  Another good one is "The Magic Treehouse" series.  These will come in handy for the long car trip too.  My son and I drive 450 miles to his Dad's state for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so anything that can be used for entertainment in the car is a great gift.  Kids this age are really into arts and crafts, too.  Maybe make up a portable art kit that she can use in the car.  Most of the "Dollar Stores" have these nice little stencil and sticker books, washable markers, colored pencils - LOTS of paper.  One thing my son is asking for to use in the car is a "Video Now" - like a small portable DVD player that only plays special Nickelodeon discs, but I haven't checked that out yet, so don't know the cost.  
LOL - just checked with my son on what a girl would like - he says get her some of that "stupid makeup, dressup stuff" - so, I don't know how you feel about that, but I know the little girls love nail polish and all that "make me pretty" stuff.
The GameBoy is a great idea, too.  My son has one and is only allowed to play it in the car - makes it special.  And, boys are not the only ones who like Pokemon, around here, anyway.  The 8 year old girl next door has more stuffed Pokemon animals than my son, and lots of the cards and toys.
As for traditions - start a few that are totally your own.  At this age they understand the special meaning, and are very good at coming up with their own ideas - she may surprise you with what is really important to her.  One thing my Dad used to do when we were little, and I still do with my son, I think I will be doing until he marries and moves out.  I think someone mentioned a snowglobe, and this is what my Dad bought each of us every year - just from him.  He would use a different color yarn for each of us and attach it to the snowglobe package, then wind the yarn through the whole house - up and down stairs, in and out of closets - and tie it to our beds.  Then when we got up Xmas morning this is what we had to do first - unwind the yarn until we got to our globes.  It wasn't until not too long ago that my Mom confessed that this was a "secret strategy" to keep us occupied while she and Dad had that first cup of coffee and got ready to face the day.
Congratulations, and enjoy !!

[MKx2]

that we've done with skids when younger.  Write a hint about a location in your house, put it in a box and wrap the box and put it under the tree.  In the hint location, write another one, put in box, wrap, and so on until they finally get to the present.  The skids had SO much fun with this!  At 7 I think I'd be inclined to only have 2 or 3 hints before she got the present, though.  The searching adds to their anticipation and excitement of the gift.

Don't forget the Alphabet Game while you're driving in the car.  LOL - DS and I still play that! (he's 24 and I ain't sayin' how old I am!)

OOOOOOOO ... I'm SO excited for you!  What an absolutely WONDERFUL Christmas you'll all have!

[1angrystepmom]

Get some plain, oatmeal, add some glitter.... (yes the kind in a little tube, that you need glue to use, PLAIN OLDFASHIONED GLITTER)

Mix well, you will then have "MAGIC REINDEER FOOD" for Santa's Reindeer,  Before bed on Christmas Eve, take the kids out to "feed the reindeer" Toss into yard, when the lights are shining, glitter will show up!  The birds  (IF there are any in your area) will be thankful for the winter meal :)  You can always make it early, and find a small burlap bag (some sold in craft stores) to put it in. and write (in glitter of course ) "Reindeer food.

Amber

[MKx2]

Amber - I LOVE this one!  Gonna pass it on to my nephew - he has 2 yr old boy/girl twins!  Such a delightful sweet thing!

LOL ... since we lived in cold and snowy land when DS was still a "believer" I did the standard  sooty Santa foot-prints from the fireplace to the tree and back after he went to bed every Christmas Eve.  How I HATED myself every Christmas Day when I had to clean it up!  Magic Reindeer Food is FAR better than soot - LOL!

Slightly off-holiday with this one, but at Easter I did bunny tracks on the lawn, front porch and through the house with flour, a spoon and H20 ... DS figured out I was doing it one year when he noticed that none of the other kids' homes had any tracks ... I think he was about 5 or so.  But I still continued doing it and it was one of those parent-kid things that he would laugh about on Easter morning and give me "that look."   ;-)