Christmas 2008

This year, I did gifting a little bit more strictly, than in years past. With 4 boys, it quickly got out of control last year. One thing that helped me was shopping online. You're not really browsing, you're just getting what you need and getting off the computer before Seany climbs the walls and Ryan tries to help by yanking him down.

Take our neighbor gift situation, I had to give 19 neighbor gifts and we received 22 before I stopped counting (I think we got 26 but I'm not sure). Do you have any idea how much baking I had to do? I made 8 batches of cookie bars, 6 boxes of cupcakes, and still had to use candy to fill in the empty spaces. By the time I add up all the ingredients, plates, etc -- we spent at least $75 baking for people who all did their own baking too. There has to be a better way.

In all this we celebrated 4 birthdays and 3 early Christmases.

Next year's neighbor gifts are done, I bought every holiday dish towel in Kohl's the Sunday after Christmas and I'm slapping a bow on them next year and calling it a gift. Seriously, I like the LDS, but they don't have to ALL feel like we need to be remembered. I'm flattered that they don't want us to feel lonely, left out, whatever. But, I'm sure they're just doing the people on their street or close friends, etc. It was out of control. I'd like to do maybe half that many -- the people around town that help me out and the people on our street and the chicklets playmates. My leg was killing me, my dad was sick, my mom was sick, I was sick, chicklets were sick. Plus we were throwing festivities in there.

For the chicklets, I arranged 1 gift for each brother from each brother. I think that was my favorite thing. They each delighted in being the giver of their own gifts to their brothers (tee shirts and games and none of it over $5 an item). Mark and I gave each chicklet a gift (so that was 2 from the parents). And Santa gave them 3 ( but they were very inexpensive). I spent a total of $320 on the chicklets and they loved their stuff.

Mark and I each got a gift from each kid and a gift from each other and Santa. There were plenty of other things the chicklets wanted and in years past I would have gotten more, but I deliberately controlled the presents and they seemed to enjoy it just as much.

And for the first time, I stuck to the budgets I set for all the grandparents, family, chicklets, and friends gifts. I love shopping especially for gifts. It was hard for me to not buy something else cute I saw for someone. But, I had a budget, if the item broke it, I didn't buy it. Excellent rule. The only exception was Mark's robe which was $5 over. And I changed one of his other gifts to compensate (instead of a cool gadget, he got tongs).

We know a lot of religious people, we hear "Remember the Christ in Christmas" deal a lot. We do. We pray, we give, we share, we church (when not rushing someone to the ER for $1600). I just don't pretend not to enjoy giving and receiving gifts with our families who can't come on Christmas day and therefore we celebrate with them EARLY (when they are actually with us). I love the Early Christmases the chicklets seem to appreciate the time spent with their extended family more. And we are one of the few who actually leave Christmas up during the ACTUAL Christmas season! If the stuff is down before New Years, you're not remembering the Christ bit. So stop spitting that kind of phrase out at us, I find it grating, really. (FYI, yesterday, Andrew said in response to Alex, "NO! December 25th is Jesus' birthday. That's what Christmas is so special for Alex!"

Christmas Eve, we spent the day preparing for the evening. The evening we went to church, dinner (too late for Alex if we went home, poor kid was STARVING), did the Christmas Eve traditions and went to bed.

Christmas Morning, we got up at a normal hour, opened stockings, ate a special breakfast, opened presents, had lunch, played with all manner of gifties, baked a cake, made a kid friendly dinner, played more, ate dinner, watched a new movie, had our dessert, and called it a fabulous Christmas.