Wowzers. Christmas is in 5 days! I don't have shopping done, packages aren't sent out, I don't have my menu planned or my house clean, my tree isn't finished, my house isn't decorated, I can't find my carving knife.... Ah! I'm not ready!!
Who the hell cares?!?
I hate what Christmas has turned into. Growing up I was one of those kids who, if I didn't have a truck full of toys by 1100 on Christmas morning, was utterly ticked off and disappointed. Looking back, I'm sure I was a little pain in the you know what. However, regardless of how ridiculous or petty those gifts were, I never looked at my grandma, or my mom, or my friend and scowled and thought it wasn't good enough. Sure, the giant stuffed animals and 60 porcelain dolls my grandma gave me EVERY year got a little routine, but I can't say I wasn't thankful for them.
In fact, those 60 porcelain dolls I have are some of the most difficult things for me to part with right now. Do I love porcelain dolls? Not really, however my grandma gave them and they are part of the memories connected to the 19 years of my life my grandma was here. It isn't the gifts I love, it's the thoughts of our entire family sitting around, intact, eating too much, watching Christmas movies or the football game, and just enjoying each other's company.
THOSE are the things that Christmas should be about. I don't remember more than a few presents I received as a child, but I do remember my grandma tickling my feet when I sat next to her on the couch and sitting at the kids table with my cousin and brothers and watching Dylan out eat half the adults sitting at the "Big People" table.
Of course, every parent wants their child to have some gifts under the tree and a large Christmas dinner spread for their family, but no one's life is going to end if a child doesn't receive 15 gifts on Christmas morning. I have seen a huge number of posts on Facebook and other sites this year of people begging for donations from people or families that want to have the "perfect" Christmas but can't afford to buy their children everything they've ever dreamed of. People saying they don't even want to do Christmas because they can only afford "a few gifts" for everyone, or acting so ungrateful for help offered to them through programs like Sears Heroes at Home by saying "What good is $50?!" make me sick.
Sorry to be so blunt, but get over it. Be happy you have a home, and food on the table. Be happy that you aren't sitting at a shelter wishing someone would get you a good pair of shoes and a jacket without holes in it for Christmas. Be thankful your husband isn't deployed this year, or you get to visit home for the holidays. Stop taking for granted the small things, and get the kids something they will appreciate, or maybe something they can learn from.
If you are so materialistic that being able to provide hundreds of dollars of gifts for your children on Christmas is more important than the memories you could make as a family celebrating a simple holiday, you have your priorities pretty messed up. On the other hand, if your child is so spoiled that they will be unsatisfied and ungrateful because they "only" got a few things for Christmas, there are many lessons you should be teaching your child as opposed to spending your time stalking the toy department.
A three year old won't remember this year, next year, or even the following year, that they didn't get everything on their Christmas list but I guarantee they will know if you were an ungrateful Scrooge because you weren't satisfied with the things that you DO have and COULD provide for them.
Do us all a favor, quit with the entitled attitude and don't mess up Christmas for those of us who appreciate the little things.
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