I have this GRRREAT Christmas story that I want to share with you....! It makes me so happy to tell it!!!
3 weeks or so ago I took my beautiful Liv along with Annie and Auntie JJ to experience another "date night" together. Well.... this is how this story started....
We arrived to the store called "Build a Bear". See, my grand idea was to take Liv into Build-a-Bear... (to be a Christmas gift from me).. let her pick out anything she wanted on the animal kingdom side of things... and have the experience of making her own stuffed animal, fully clothed with costume, etc... yeah you all know the drill, I think. Oh yeah, and of course not to mention the "birth certificate" that is in tow with this luxurious retail experience. Well, it all went just fanatastic... so much fun. So as we leave the store we are all completely starving for dinner. We head on down to the food court, laughing and having just a great time. We all eat dinner, and are just having ourselves a good time together. Well... the little girls see the Chocolate Factory and jump up to take a look at those beautiful morsels of chocolate. Sissy and I slowly meander after them, grabbing jackets, etc. to catch up. As we chat and laugh with one another, suddenly I look at them in complete panic mode. "Who has the Ariel Puppy", I yell out??? oh my gosh... are you kidding me.? We run back to our table, and would you know??? PUPPY IS GONE!!! A few people around us mentioned that a man came by and swooped this adorable puppy up and yes, he did inquire as to who it may belong to, but then left with it. Hmmm, a bit strange I think, but maybe he's concerned and has turned it in to the customer service area of the mall as was suggested by a few folks around. We make our way to this service booth, requested any info they might have, but to know avail. A very sad little Liv was so devastated that her puppy was gone forever, that someone would just up and take it like that. Well, let me tell you... this Grammy's fighting instincts weren't going to end there. My instincts got the best of me, and I quickly came up with the grand story that Christmas was the most magical time ever and that Santa watches everything and everyone and knows how to get "Ariel Puppy" back and will have it safely delivered to my Liv on Christmas morning. Hmmm... well we all know... this is now going to require a bit of creative effort from Grammy to pull it off successfully.
So... over the course of the next few days... I have several people so involved in this story by simply telling them about our escapade in the mall together on our little girls date night. One friend even went to the mall before I could and made sure that the "Ariel costume" was still available to buy. (big demand). She called me during a holiday night out with my family, just to let me know that there were "8" of them left and should she buy one right now to ensure I wouldn't miss getting one? What a good friend, seriously... but I politely declined as I knew I would be getting to the mall the next evening. Well, time did get a way for a few days, and once again panic started to set in. My number one goal truly needed to be to get back to the mall and make another Ariel Puppy NOW!!! Finally, I made it and yes the costumes were in and I made a new Ariel Puppy once again, birth certificate and all.... everything just as exact as it was the night I took Liv.
A few days later, I had Liv for a "sleepover" at my house. I had hid this adorable little puppy in my closet by my bedroom. While showering the next morning... would you know??? Liv made her way into the closet and FOUND PUPPY!!!! Oh boy... are you kidding me??? I stepped out of the bathroom, towel clenched, dripping with water, and there she was... Liv, standing in front of me, holding puppy, tears in her eyes, bewildered and completely shocked. I looked at her with the same shock and dismay? Liv!!! What are you doing with that??? She looked at me with those bright green eyes full of tears... "but Grammy... why did you take my puppy? Oooh boy. Here we go I thought... and boy did I think fast. Baby, ummm... see... it's like this. See... uh this little girl, uh, I believe her name is, ummm, yeah it's a... "Carli"... see she is just a little girl like you, and umm she comes from a family who doesn't have a lot sweetie... so you see, Grammy thought that maybe I could go make a beautiful "Ariel Puppy" like yours so that we could bring her something special like what Santa is going to bring you on Christmas morning. I told her about you and how special your puppy is and she wanted to have one just like yours. So, I was thinking that maybe we could take "Carli" this one that Grammy went and made and maybe we could take a few other toys to her house and make her feel special this Christmas. What do you think?
Would you know... my Liv was so on board with this story that she had every toy in mind that she owned that she wanted to give to Carli. For 3 days now, my Liv has been talking about what she wants to give Carli for Christmas. She hasn't even thought about herself and what she wants. Wow. I've got to make this happen and be sure that this is the most important part of Christmas for my granddaughter... for her to feel what this thing we do at Christmas is really what it is all about. I am realizing the responsiblity that is on my shoulders to see this to it's ultimate end.
The girls in my office are all just mystified and completely determined that we are coming up with a plan to execute this so called "mock service project" but transform it into a real deal. After several pow wow sessions of what we could do, it is finally determined that I am taking Ariel Puppy and the gifts that Liv is giving up to a friend's daughter's house. The plan is all in place... they will be at their house this evening and Liv and I will show up with all of our loot in tow. We leave it at their door, knock on their door and Liv and I run... you know like the secret Santa thing we've all done a time or two. Ali and her husband will open the door and take the items once we are off, and hang on tight to them until I pick them up tomorrow morning. Phew!!!!
Well, that's just exactly what Liv and I did tonight. So... now I pick them all back up in the morning, most importantly, Ariel Puppy, so of course Santa can make his delivery to Livia on Christmas morning. Magical. The rest of the gifts? I will be taking them to the Christmas Box House and leave them for homeless children to pick up on Christmas day.
The original Ariel Puppy? Don't know where she is... I just hope that the man who took her gives her to a beautiful little girl that may possibly go by the name of Carli... or anything for that matter... just as long as a little girl gets her.
