How ya'll doin'?
We only have nine days left until Christmas, and I have taken procrastination to a whole new level. I officially have not purchased even one single Christmas gift.
This isn't that unusual for me. I typically don't start my Christmas shopping until the second week of December. In recent years, this has been because my toy selling deadline is usually around Dec. 12. I get pretty focused on wrapping up my business for the year and wait until then to start thinking about my own needs.
But this year, I'm really lacking motivation.
Maybe it's because I'm... you know... almost MIDDLE AGE! Like many people these days, I'm also wanting to de-emphasize the materialism that can surround Christmas. The faltering economy gives me a good excuse to make this happen.
It also has to do with the fact that my kids have absolutely everything they could possibly need in life. With both my husband and myself in the toy business for quite a few years, our kids have a LOT of toys.
Still, I really love the joy of Christmas morning and unwrapping gifts, whether you need them or not. And I truly believe that children learn through play, so it's good to get them things that are developmentally appropriate and just plain FUN. I'm just trying to find a way to do that without depleting the checking account and spoiling the kids rotten.
I'm curious how all of you are handing the Christmas gift exchange this year? Are you doing anything differently? And why?
Nothing too different this year. Although, with teenage kids and ipods and digital cameras and cell phones, our new mantra is "we buy the first one; you buy the next." Hard for them to understand, but they will just have to accept the new mantra. I want to play fun board games with them this winter break and, luckily, most of them are not too expensive!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about you and wondering what it's like when your kids are teens! What kind of board games can you get them all to play with you? Do tell!!
ReplyDeleteThey are fond of Monopoly and Scrabble. We also like Uno, for cards.
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