Late today. It has been a crazy crazy day today. I guess that means it was a normal day! As of right now, Jenna is at the Harry Potter Premier, hanging out outside the theater with some friends, waiting to get it. Hopefully she has fun waiting in the cold, in costume, for 4 hours (she got there at 8).... I have no doubt that she will! (I am sooooooo jealous that she is there and I am here with little kids and no babysitter!!!)
Anyway.
My thing this year is that I want to have a stress free and debt free Christmas. We do not use credit cards, but we usually end up borrowing money from one of our Mothers just to make sure we have everything covered. I really want this year to be more low key. I want to concentrate on time with each other, gifts from the heart and giving back a little bit. In addition, Braeden gets so overwhelmed with all of the chaos and confusion on Christmas morning that I want to make it a little easier for him. Less presents to open, more time to play with each present before tearing in to the next. Less pressure for him. My Mother and MIL will be here for Christmas as well.... for the first time ON CHRISTMAS MORNING since Braeden was born. That will be enough excitement in and of itself!
We are cutting back on the number of presents we purchase for the kids. And I will be making several items for each of them. I want lots of activities and experiences in the days leading up to the holidays, less importance placed on the actual gifts.
So, do any of you fabulous people have any suggestions on new traditions, new activities, frugal gift ideas, crafty fun or any other Christmas stuff? Leave me some links and I will love you forever! And I promise to link to the items I will be making and give a full run down of our plans sometime soon.
Right now I have to go see why it sounds like elephants on parade in the boys' bedroom.....
5 comments:
~first off congrats on your daughter recieving a scholarship...i can imagine proud you are of her!!
we started tapering down on holiday gifts a few years back...somehow it can lose the true meaning amongst all the commotion and gifts...we spread our gifts out from yule to christmas so that the littles can really savor what has been given to them...i think anything made from the hands and heart of one is priceless...
i wish you well and blessings always upon you and yours~
~oops...almost forgot...tradition! i buy a new or used holiday each year for the littles and an ornament so when they leave home and or start families of their own they will have their own precious bits to take with them and remember the holidays passed...warm wishes and brightest blessings~
We put a lot of stock in the phrase "it's the thought that counts." My daughter is going to make those little cinnamon cookie ornaments for teacher gifts and for a special grandparent memento type thing. Plus I'm going to scale way back because I don't even know a kid that needs more toys. This is the plan anyhow. Best of luck to all of us!
One of the things we have considered is one big gift, a few smaller Santa gifts in the stocking and then focus on the family meal, allowing my son to help cook it and decide the menu. Something to focus more on it being time for the family, as opposed to time for GIFTS! and MORE GIFTS! Also, GIFTS!!
In terms of giving back, we have baked bread for our local pantry and also picked a needy person off of a community "tree" and saved to get the person what they want.
Good luck and blessed holiday!
We are not doing a lot of gifts this year. One small but thoughtful gift for each person.
PS: Following from MBC
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