Christmas
Christmas Present Shopping
We have always had good Christmases. But for the first few years, it took a lot more scrimping and saving. One year, we finally had plenty of money at Christmas, and we found that we actually needed to limit how much we bought.
The four gift rule is pretty common, something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. I like this rule in general, or at least the idea of it, but, sometimes I found the perfect present, and it didn’t quite fit in these categories. Instead, we do three or four presents from the parents, there are four kids so they get three from their siblings, and then anything from Santa is bonus. Sometimes Santa only does stockings and a couple things for the family, like a big box of candy or a board game, sometimes he brings each of the kids presents.
Other Traditions
Growing up, my mother always made cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, and we always had to wake up our parents by singing Christmas carols. The first few years I had babies, especially my second, who was born December 20, I did not feel like making cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, and I kind of felt like a failure. But, I found out that we didn’t have to have the same traditions I grew up with.
Our first tradition is thanks to our oldest son. I grew up in a home where Christmas decorations did not come out until after Thanksgiving. But one October, my son was in the hospital with a broken leg, and the only thing he wanted to do was go home and put up the Christmas tree. How could we say no? So, when we got home, we immediately decorated for Christmas, because it made him happy. And we realized, we loved it! During the busy part of the season, we didn’t worry about decorating because it was already done! We enjoyed our decorations longer, and we relaxed more. So from then on, we put up our Christmas decorations in September or October, rivaling Walmart.
We make cookies together on Christmas Eve. That way, we always have a fresh cookie to set out for Santa. And, we open one present each on Christmas Eve night. This tradition did carry over from my family. For the kids, this is usually something to sleep with, like a new stuffed animal, or a blanket or sheet set with their favorite character, or a fun pillow.
On Christmas morning, like a lot of families, we open the rest of our presents. And we always have something fun for breakfast, even if it isn’t always cinnamon rolls. We found that toaster strudels are a fun treat that we don’t always have, and they can be made really fast, and even faster if you put them all on a pan in the oven.
Our family’s traditions fit us perfectly.
