Download this super cute Christmas printable from Nest of Posies here!
This Christmas really feels different than any other Christmas in the past for a lot of reasons. The main reason is that Julian is old enough to be excited about what will happen on Christmas and Christmas Eve. (A.k.a. opening/receiving gifts.) I still don’t think he “gets” it, so I’m not going overboard on everything Christmas, but it’ll definitely be interesting to see how he feels about all of the gifts that are coming his way. Being a mother brings a whole new meaning to holidays, Christmas in particular.
I feel a mixture of emotions when I think about the pressure that is put on parents to teach their children what they want them to value about the holiday season. I feel excitement because it can be such an amazing, beautiful time for kids. I feel anxiety over instilling in him the “right” ideas and values. And I feel nostalgic when I think about my Christmases as a child, and the things that I want to carry over to Julian, and the new traditions and values that I hope to bring to the table as he grows older.
One of the things that I’m proud to have thought of in regards to gift-giving is that Julian (and me and Dom and future children) will only get one gift from Santa. Santa will bring each of us the thing we want most. I think this idea came from thinking about all of the movies and songs about Santa, and how each little child gets one gift, and they all seem to be the thing they want the most. For us as parents, it means less worry about getting a million perfect gifts and then choosing which ones will be from Santa. For Julian it means not expecting tons and tons of gifts from us AND Santa.
I loved Christmases as a kid, and I still do. As I grew older and the things I wanted got smaller and more expensive, it looked like I got less gifts. I appreciate all of the things I have been given, but on those years where I didn’t feel like I got as much as I usually did, I wish I hadn’t grown accustomed to receiving enormous amounts of presents. Being given that sense of entitlement can be poisonous to a kid, because then they grow up into adults that never seem to be satisfied. Around Christmas that dissatisfaction is terrible. Not only is it just a bad trait to have, but being dissatisfied with the things people are giving you, out of the kindness of their hearts, is really confusing and sad to feel. You know its wrong, but you can’t help but feel it anyways.
I want to find the balance between making Julian feel loved and excited about Christmas, but also feeling gracious for the things he does receive, even if his pile of gifts looks sparse one year compared to the others.
The past few days have been dedicated to what is becoming last-minute gift shopping. I’m still thinking about the “perfect” gift for each of the people I want to buy for, but I’m also running out of time and money. Mostly money. Leave it to poor planning to make what should be an exciting and fun experience of gift buying into such a stressful time for me. I’m the type of person that starts planning for Christmas financially in October and has the intentions of shopping little by little for a few months, and then all of a sudden it’s Thanksgiving and I'm crunching numbers and trying to figure out how to stay current on bills AND still get everything I have to get for Christmas. I’ve already vowed to start my own version of a Christmas Club account at the beginning of the year so I won’t have to pay out of pocket at this time next year.
The stress of purchasing shouldn’t overshadow the fun part of buying gifts.
I’m so excited to be hosting my second little brunch this coming weekend. Dom’s mom is going to Texas to visit his sister, Alauna, so we’re having her and her boyfriend over for Christmas brunch on Monday morning. (Weird day, I know. It’s the only day we all have off!) I love any excuse to have people over and make yummy food and get my little place all spiffed up. The tentative menu includes a French toast “casserole”, vegetable and cheese strata (sort of a cross between quiche and casserole), probably either breakfast sausage or bacon, cheesy grits, fruit, and yummy beverages that I haven’t quite decided on yet. I would also love to do cinnamon rolls with icing as a desert, and some kind of desert cocktail that we can sip on while we open each other’s presents.
So, stay tuned for all of that fun!
So, so far this Christmas is relatively low-key, and I intend on it being relaxing and fun. I’m saving all of the big guns for next year, when Julian will sure to be basking in the glory of Christmas and all the things that come with it. We’re dipping out toes into the Christmas pond this year, feeling things out and deciding on our own views and traditions as a family, so that next year we can be prepared to teach Julian all about it.
How many gifts do your kids get from Santa? Do you tend to go overboard or do a little less in comparison to others out there? When do you start planning financially for Christmas? Do you have any gift-giving traditions? I would love to hear what you think about anything I mentioned above!
Stay sane!
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