Top Ten Reasons I Know Christmas is Near...

If you do not follow Reagan at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits, you NEED to.  Now, not later.  While you're there, you need to read her "Top Ten Reasons I Know Christmas is Near" post.  I read it to my husband, and of course, he politely smiled at me, but I am fairly certain that he was tuned out watching MADE on MTV like a full-fledged grown-up.  He probably heard something like, "Blah blah glitter, blah blah grunt."  Seriously though, I was shaking my head and laughing throughout the entire post.  Though this isn't an official linky party yet, I feel the need to participate, because let's face it friends, I have four more days of school, and WOW.  Here's my own top ten for your viewing pleasure.  :)

10. You know Christmas is coming when you refer to your classroom helpers as "helper elves".  

9. A poor man's Elf on the Shelf makes an appearance in your classroom as a last ditch effort to rally the troops and maintain order.

8.  You say things like "Did I ever tell you that Santa and I go waaaaay back?" and "Ohhhhh, let's be careful friends.  I would HATE to see your name added to the naughty list this close to Christmas.  You know Santa checks his list TWICE."

7. You start to wonder if you've walked onto the set of The Santa Clause, because almost every kiddo is dressed up like a reindeer, an elf, or a member of the Claus family... and every girl is covered from head to toe in sequins.  

6.  Your teacher friends yell out ,"Four and a half!" when they pass you in the hallway, and you reply, "Word." 

5. You start to give out way more rewards than ever... and buckets overflow with pom poms.  The bucket fillers are showered with "warm and fuzzies"... and the bucket dippers come face to face with Mrs. Grincherson.

4.  You PTL and count your blessings because all of your sweet thirdsters are looking forward to Santa's visit, and nobody has spoiled the magic.

3.  You can't even complete a Top Ten on your brain blog because your brain is fried, and you totally typed brain where blog was before you realized that you were proving your own point.

2. You view assemblies as welcome friends.  Yeah, maybe you can't fit in Social Studies today, but there's always January! 

And lastly... sadly... 

1. You haven't seen your Guided Reading table for two weeks, because it is completely hidden under a pile of craftivities, craft supplies, student-made ornaments and construction paper chains.  All group activities take place on the floor... with clipboards... because it's FUN and you're a super cool teacher... NOT because your room is starting to look like a scene from an episode of Hoarders. 

Disclaimer:  I have not sacrificed any of my Reading Street lessons, and I have managed sustain fidelity to the program.  All extra activities have been literally squeezed into any nook and cranny that we have in our school days on our intervention off-days.  :)  Ahem.  Done.