Keep It Simple

I don't know about you, but I get a little overwhelmed at Christmas. I love it all--the music, the lights, the traditions. It's all the expectations that get to me. I barely have time to get a tree up every year. Forget doing anything outside. Then there's all the presents. Our extended family is huge, and even though we've scaled back to a big degree I have this deep fear that I'm going to show up somewhere without a present that I'm supposed to have for someone. I think that gift giving is one of my love languages, so it overwhelms me to feel the pressure to find the perfect gift for all the people I love all at once. What I really want to do is just hang out with my family, play games, bake cookies, decorate gingerbread houses, and talk about the true meaning of Christmas.

We "do Santa" at our house. Barely. Big Sissy knows he's not real but just can't figure out what the real deal is. I won't tell her yet because I'm scared to death she'll be THAT KID that ruins it for everyone else in kindergarten. But we always start our conversations about Santa with, "The legend goes that..." I just don't want to lie to them. But I don't want to steal the childhood magical moments either. Aaaahhhh....such conflict belies every Christmas for me.

I was refreshed--and possibly a little embarrassed--when someone asked my kids what they were hoping to get from Santa. Since we don't dwell on it, they hadn't really thought about the question before. So here's what they're hoping for. Big Sissy wants a Webkinz (even though she already has 6). Little Sissy wants Silly Bandz ($2). and Levi wants a candy cane. ($1 for a box) Whew. Thanks for taking the pressure off. Maybe they like to keep it simple too!