Cupid's Spoils

We have a family tradition for Valentine's Day: Cupid comes calling. Our Big Kids are of course all old enough to know the truth behind Cupid's visits, but they put on a great enthusiastic show of excitement for Joseph's sake. 

They help him understand the holiday and get pepped up for it, which is so fun to see. Cupid is really shy, so he only comes along when people are singing happily and cleaning (I don't feel guilty at all for making that part of the story!). 

The kids all sang at the top of their lungs (Joseph happened to pick Christmas carols....I can see the connection between Santa Claus and Cupid in his mind) and cleaned the kitchen while I slunk around the house outside to drop off goodies. They were dancing with the broom and twirling while putting away dishes- it's such a fun thing to watch. 

Our house is funny- it has four - FOUR!- exterior doors....one facing each cardinal direction. Two of them are used regularly as main entrances, so it's a simple thing to sneak out of one front door and round the corner to the other entrance for a quick knock-and-dash. 

Each time I'd drop off a batch of treats, I'd hear the children shout in glee and come running to the door while I made a dark exit in the night. 

There are 4 deliveries of goodies spread over the evening, one for each child. That child divides his goodies with the family so everyone has an equal share of the treats/gifts. It's wonderfully co-operative. This year Matthew begged to have the privilege of delivering the last drop of treats. He was SO excited to sneak around the house and deliver it. 

He got really into it, donning dark clothing and bringing along a long-handled rake so he could knock on the door without exposing his hiding spot. I love this kid- he is so enthusiastic about whatever he does. 

The favorite goody this year was a package of fun straws that pulled liquid around a pair of eye-glasses before popping into the mouth. They LOVED these and used them regularly for weeks afterwards.