Christmas Meanderings...

I have noticed that kids expect more and more presents each year at Christmas. I've seen parents with baskets full of gifts for their children, and I'm not saying that they're bad parents, I'm just saying I don't agree with them. Parents shouldn't spend tons of money on Christmas presents when they already spend hundreds of dollars throughout the year on those same children.

My family has always been poor. We kids didn't know that we were, but we were struggling to get by. We didn't notice or mind when we ate beans and boiled potatoes for a month or more because it's all we could afford. We didn't complain when we had to chop down our own Christmas tree, or when we didn't have any of the toys that talked or anything (maybe we had some from yard sales, but we never had batteries for them).

When Christmas came, mom would apply for help from the local church. We never had a ton of presents, but we appreciated them all. I remember one year, my mom had bought us all thin blankets from a yard sale and saved them for Christmas and we loved those blankets more than anything else that year. They were picnic blankets, made into tents, used on our beds...or for pallets when we would sleep in the living room floor. Of course, when we went to school in January after Christmas break, we would brag about all these "great" presents we had gotten...and sometimes scoff at the other kids that bragged about their new video game systems or money or whatever the new technology was at that time.

As we grew up, mom stopped applying for help and we just didn't have as many presents. Mom's close family (sister and aunts) would sometimes bring us gifts and want us to open them while they were visiting, but we'd all insist on saving them for Christmas day.

Presents stopped while I was still in high school. After break, everyone would ask what I got for Christmas and I'd simply say "nothing big" and name a few of the things mom had gotten me through the year (mostly at yard sales or at thrift stores). Through college, the same thing applied.

To me, Christmas has always been more about spending time with family and friends. We've never had money for many presents, so presents have never been a big part of Christmas for me. I mean, sure, I get a little sad when people brag about what they've gotten for Christmas (and yes, they still do) and I havent gotten anything. It's a little disheartening when mom's so excited about giving a gift from the consignment shop, only to find out it doesn't fit right.

This year, I went with mom to yard sales and we bought some little things which we put in boxes for Christmas for the kids. I made hats for the older girls and cookies for the guys. I've not been working because I've been sick and the doctors can't figure out what's wrong with me...so it's back to our old Christmas style.

My nephews were obviously disappointed in the gifts this year. My 3 year old niece LOVED everything she opened. The girls have loved their hats so far and the guys enjoy the cookies. It's discouraging that so many kids put so much emphasis on gifts at Christmas...they all want big gifts too. Things on my nephews' Christmas lists this year included: real gold bar, new stereo, rifle, money, four wheelers, new laptops, and cell phones (which they already have cell phones, they just wanted better phones).

I remember visiting Santa here in town and being asked what I wanted for Christmas when I was 5. I simply answered "I guess a new doll would be nice, but I'd really like a new pair of dress shoes." That's it. I didn't name off a long list of things I wanted and didn't ask for anything special or technological...just a pair of shoes.

My niece is 3 years old and is like that. When we asked her in the summer what she wanted for her birthday, she just wanted a rug. For Christmas she said she wanted a tea pot and a plain box with art stuff and balloons in it. We didn't get her the art box, but we got her 2 little tea pots that we found for a dollar a piece at a consignment shop. She has loved those presents more than any kid could ever love a mp3 player or cell phone or whatever.

Anyway, Just a few thoughts. Next year will you be one of the parents stressing at Christmas and buying baskets full of toys and electronics...or will you take a walk on the simpler side of life?