I am very much in the mood for Christmas and the holidays. It is easy to catch the bug in New England. Of course, I went to Texas and celebrated an early Thanksgiving with my family so I am ahead of everyone else's pace. As I was in the middle of packing, my 7 yr old son came in and asked me "Mom, is Santa Claus real?" Ouch! I guess the answer I fumbled through wasn't so good because some tears were shed-mostly because he thought toys would stop because of the guy in the red suit. My poor response was also confirmed by my husband whose jaw dropped and said, "The proper response is OF COURSE THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS!" I am not so confident my husband isn't really a 7 year old in a 38 year old body. To try to gain perspective, I rented the Tim Allen movie Santa Claus and my whole family-including my grandmother watched it together. It may have helped my skeptical child and confirmed the romantic beliefs of my husband. It took me to the happy, snowy place I like to rest about this time of year. Mittens, cocoa, sledding, bows...I can never get enough. Here's little drawing I found tucked away-one of many I will post from now until the new year probably. Note to self: make sure Penelope has a lot of "winter themed" illustration Fridays!