Random: Sickness and Christmas Gifting

AAARRGGGHH! Too long without a blog post. I'll try to be better about this, I promise.

Let's see...what's been happening here? Lots of sickness going around. I'm the only one who hasn't bit the dust yet, but I feel like my time is coming and it will probably be over Christmas! Benjamin has had a cold for about two weeks, and I suspect it's two separate illnesses that piggybacked, plus teething. Joel was pretty sick about a week ago, and I think he's still feeling a little down. Start popping the Airborne and Emergen-C! 

I'm done with Christmas shopping except for one or two things. The tree is up and the cards are ordered. I made this recipe for my friends and neighbors, and ya'll, it is GOOD! It tastes like if Cinnabon made butter. MMMMMMM! This Christmas is the first year we've actually bought Benjamin some gifts, and it has forced me to think about what kind of precedent I want to set in regards to kids and gift giving. When I was younger we didn't really have BIG Christmases, but they weren't bad either. Just somewhere in between, I guess. My four other siblings and I usually each got one big present (like a bike, or a doll)  and then a few smaller things. Some Christmases the big item was for everyone to share, like when we got a wagon. We didn't start hanging up stockings until I was older, but I don't remember them being stuffed with multiple items, and our grandparents usually purchased just one gift for each grandchild. Was I sometimes disappointed with my gifts? Sure, I think all kids feel that way sometimes. But was I ever upset about the amount of gifts I received, or the perceived monetary value? Nope. I can honestly say that it never crossed my mind. I remember one particularly hard Christmas, right after we had moved to Kansas. I was twelve, and of course there were so many things I wanted at that age. I'm sure I got other things, but what I remember most was a magazine. Yep. There was a special People magazine issue all about the royal family (yes, I was a total geek) and my mom wrapped it up for me to open on Christmas morning. I loved it. I poured over every single picture of Princess Di, and kept that magazine for a long time. I never remember feeling angry or cheapened by that gift. I knew that other kids got a lot of presents, and I just accepted that I wasn't going to get those things. I really don't remember it being an issue. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's ok to not give your kids everything they want, or even most of what they want. 

After thinking about all of this pretty carefully, Joel and I have decided that we will always limit gifts. I like the idea of three gifts to represent gifts from the three kings, plus a few smaller items in a stocking. I recently came across this blog post and think it's also a terrific idea. In case you don't click on the link, the author decided to limit her children's gifts to four items; want, need, wear, read. This encourages kids to only ask for what they truly want and feel is important, instead of writing out limitless lists. Now, don't get me wrong. I love receiving gifts, and I really love buying them for others. I definitely think kids should get presents!  If I'm being honest, the idea of limiting gifts is for me too, so that I don't get carried away by all the "stuff." I think of it as a tradeoff of sorts. Would I rather buy my children everything I possibly can, or be able to tell them they can attend any college of their choice? That might be an exaggeration, but it's not too far from the truth. 

Last weekend we attended "Enchanted Airlie." The following two pictures are from that event. In the first picture, Benjamin is in completely entranced with the red lights reflecting from the fountain. In the second photo, he is staring in wonderment at the miniature train village. There was no crying or whining. Just total silence and awe. I hope Christmas will always be like this.