Reply to Grandma's Christmas Present Query Email

Hi Mom,

Here's some ideas for Christmas presents for the kids.

I explained to Francie how she can draw what she's actually looking at--like paying attention to actual angles and shadows, rather than just drawing four straight legs on a table, etc. She's been very happy about that and is actually doing a good job of it. She's drawing things in the background smaller because that's how she sees it, and so on. Anyway, she's very excited about art right now. She likes that cartoon drawing book you left here for her. We might get her a drawing book for Christmas, but it's not likely we'd end up picking out the exact same one, if you want to get her one. She is also always running out of markers and crayons because she leaves them lying around and the dogs eat them.

Lillie likes anything to do with cooking. She would probably even be happy with ingredients, like cupcake mix, frosting, and sprinkles.

Amelia claims to collect stickers. I don't really see the point of that, but she seems to like it. Francie says to tell you that she wants a Hannah Montana Barbie doll. (We are not planning to get her one.) Amelia and Francie both wear earrings.

I don't know what to do about Alan and Angelo. Angelo could use clothes, he's really short on jeans and pants and shoes. I think he wears a 28/30 or 32 in pants (he's very skinny) or a men's size small in anything else. He won't wear anything if it's the least bit baggy. Anything from Wal-Mart he could always exchange. Alan could use clothes too but probably wouldn't consider clothes a Christmas present. He says he wants a million dollars. His second choice was office supplies, Dr. Pepper, and duct tape.

Fred and I could always use towels or puffy bed pillows (most of ours are old and flat). One thing I would like would be holiday candles, like bayberry or pumpkin pie scent, because I like them and this is the only time of year they sell them. Wal-Mart has some for 3 and 4 dollars.

I don't know about Tillie, maybe you could email her.

Is it okay if I start paying back the rest of what I owe you after Christmas (I don't mean the 300.00 check you have for Monday, I mean the earlier money)? We have to figure out how to come up with $2,000 down payment for two sets of braces, now. I hate the orthodontist's office. We've been putting off Amelia's but I guess we have to do Lillie's soon because she has a top front tooth that won't come down because other teeth are in the way.