RTT: Still in the Christmas spirit

So, it turns out that Christmas is a time to spoil your children absolutely rotten. I thought I had done pretty decently with Sprite's presents, from the three foot tall Rapunzel mannequin which has been an almost constant companion since she opened it, to the Tag Reading System, Alice in Wonderland dress and shoes, and some smaller gifts to round out her experience. Adding to these, the gifts she received from very thoughtful aunts and uncles, and she was a pretty happy kid by the end of Christmas Day.

But when we got home, I ventured on to Facebook to see the before and after pictures of other people's Christmas trees, practically hidden by the mounds of wrapped promise sitting beneath, beside, and sometimes even dwarfing the Wisconsin Pine. I would have thought one big ticket item was enough, (Sprite's Rapunzel "sister" was $54.00, but I had a 50% off coupon for Target right before Black Friday, so our big expensive gift only cost us $27.00. In fact, I had only budgeted eighty dollars for her anyway.) but I saw pictures of kids requiring step stools to get to the top floor of their dollhouses before clicking to the next photo of the same child uncovering a bike, more dolls, a laptop, and a video game system. Of course, this is not counting the stocking stuffers. Taking a group shot of the lucky child surrounded by her grab, I counted some thirty gifts.

I understand that I'm not used to the entire Christmas experience, seeing as Hanukkah is a grand total of 8 presents, one of them a larger desired gift while the others are more educational or artsy craftsy. I asked John if he had also gotten so much as a kid and expected an answer of no, thinking the days of quantity were maybe more recent. Imagine my surprise when he rolled his eyes and smiled in memory as he recounted the one Christmas where he received the entire Star Wars collection along with the Millenium Falcon, roller skates, a bicycle, and other assorted toys. Of course, with his other two brothers also receiving their fair share of loot, I asked him if there even WAS a Christmas tree since it seemed Santa could barely leave them under the ROOF, let alone some lit branches.

So tell me, what is the typical number of presents for kids to receive on Christmas? Are all the gifts from Santa or do the parents take some of the credit? Is there a big ticket item or many?

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 Funny how no matter how much thought you put into gifts, the kids will decide on their own which stands out as the favorite. Rapunzel was shoved into her younger cousins' faces along with the required "MY Rapunzel!" and the subsequent screams of "She's touching my Rapunzel!" when a little hand or even a tiny finger reached out to touch the silken tresses, so we figured her Santa gift was the spotlight taker. Until Sunday night when she asked me to open an updated version of paper doll dress up, a somewhat plain looking plastic sleeve set containing three baby girl hard board dolls, and their assorted magnetic "clothes" pieces to mix and match. Thinking of Sprite's usual fancy for the fantastic and vibrant colors, I honestly thought this less ostentatious present would blend into the background immediately.

I opened the neverending puzzle for her and left her in her room while I began dinner, actually having control over the television for once, flipping the station from Nick JR to the DIY network. Thinking I would have a few minutes before she grew bored of her project, it shocked me when, an hour later, the oven timer chimed signaling dinner was ready, and she was still absorbed in her activity.

Furthermore, the baby dolls each needed to be dressed for bedtime when she herself was getting ready.

Best part? I didn't have to change any doll clothes.

Best Christmas gift EVER.

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Christmas Fail: Forgetting your camera. It's easy to halt the present proceedings when the camera was hastily left in the other room, but when it's two hours away? Kindly asking your mother-in-law and father and whatever relative happens to snap a pic of your child to Facebook you a copy gets a little wearing. On the photographer.

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You all know I'm Jewish. And if you didn't, um, where have YOU been?? Anyway, I have my separate beliefs, but when Christmas comes, I put them aside to enjoy the season and the revelry with my in-laws because 1. it makes them happy to have me be a part of it, and 2. it makes me happy to be a part of it and wholeheartedly encourage Sprite to be a part of it. Yes, we're raising her in my faith, but we played up Santa big time this year, shouting out Merry Christmas to every family member we came across, even the Jewish ones. (Props to my folks for responding in like when Sprite gave them smacking kisses and Christmas tidings.) I like to think of us as one big motley crew, who, when celebrating anything, take pride in the fact that we're together to do it.

What has really bugged me this season is the non-believers who, thanks to the Internet and its instant gratification, can easily cast a Bah, Humbug! into someone else's figgy Facebook pudding when they post things like "....should repaint all the parking spaces at the church into Handicapped spots just to screw with all the people who only show up twice a year for Mass" or "Merry Mythmis!" or "feels this is the year to expose Santa."

I get it, folks. You don't believe. You have uncovered the secret of Christmas for all it really is, an excuse to buy crap for relatives you really can't stomach but only have to see once a year. That's fine, if that's what you want to believe.

I used to believe that too. Until I started spending the holidays with John's family since it was important to him, and I started looking forward to these holidays, because they became important to me. I am still 100% Jewish with no intent otherwise, but when someone greets me with "Merry Christmas!", I respond with the same. I don't remind them that they should respect my faith and save their cheer for someone else, instead I hug them right back, glad to see someone else in the spirit of being together with one another, with or without presents. That, to me, is the reason for the season.

So, when I saw these statuses dotting my Facebook read, I may have put a small wish for coal in their stockings while "liking" everyone else's statuses which were more festive, and more humane.

 Somone else who's more festive and humane? Keely! Especially now that she's home from her holiday travels. Go on over and wish her a happy new year! And bring wine. I think she may need it..

Comments

[Alaina]

Personally, as a kid, we would only get one big ticket item. My niece this year...man, she got a TON of gifts. Almost too many...it sets up expectations of how this will be every single year, you know?

And it's always the little gifts that they end up playing with the most. For my niece Roo it was her Barbie flip phone.

[Arwen]

My intent this year was one "big" thing from Santa for each boy and a few smaller things. My husband and I both really like buying gifts, though and got carried away again. They each had about 15 gifts (I'm embarrased to even type that). There was still just one big thing each, and Beeper was thrilled with everything and has played extensively with everything, so I guess we didn't do too bad (especially after reading your account of other trees).

My sister-in-law did much better. They managed to keep it to one Santa present, one present from parents and one from each other for each boy.

[Stacy (the Random Cool Chick)]

Princess Nagger's gift count will change each year depending on how much I've stashed in savings to spend, and what good deals I'll get. I usually have a mental budget in mind, and this year I scored a LOT of excellent deals (I did kinda go overboard, but I kept finding cool stuff), so she ended up with 23 gifts to open on Christmas Eve from the hubby and I. Her 'big ticket' item came from Santa on Christmas morning (which was a Nintendo DSi XL) and she's pretty much been equally dividing her time between it and all the cool loot I found for her. :)

I love your attitude about the holidays - wish more people were just like you! ;)

[Baba]

I just love being with the people I LOVE....It's not what religion you or they are. It's just being with family and friends!!!

[Claire]

My son got a LOT of presents but mostly from my parents. I hardly got him anything. (He's 3.) But when I was a kid, I remember getting a whole lot of stuff. I'd estimate about 30-40 gifts. But we didn't get much else all year.

[Laura]

I've recently had the same thoughts about how MUCH kids get from Santa at Christmas. I have a 6 and 2 yr old and in the past, they've got 2-3 presents from Santa each year. My 6 year old has never asked for much, thank goodness (fireman puzzle and dump truck have been the past 2 years' gifts he's asked for). This year it was a spy kit and x-box game (he originally said a nintendo ds, but I told him Santa wouldn't get him another game system knowing he had an x-box). So, I added a couple of puzzles, a shirt, and a new lunch box to what he'd asked for and was done (I had bought a magic kit several weeks back and we decided to hold it out for his next birthday because it just seemed too much once we started setting things out that night). My 2 year old got a shopping cart and some food items for the toy kitchen. I've seen the mounds of toys pictures on facebook, too, and think it is a bit excessive. Have you seen the 'books are not for Christmas' video of the 3 year old floating around? It is funny, but sad because this kids was so upset that Santa would brink him BOOKS (Books are not toys!)...obviously a little bit of spoiling going on there.

Anyway - just wanted to say AMEN to your opinion about Christmas gifts.

Laura

[Keely]

When I was a kid we got ONE bigger gift and the rest was all clothes, books, and a few smaller things. I read somewhere this year about a four-gift tradition: Want it, Need it, Wear it, Read it. I kinda liked that.

I love that you love Christmas. I'm an atheist and I still love it too :)

[kyooty]

Merry Christmas to you and your Family at this time of year. I'm celebrating Christmas so that's what I'm giving, Merry Cheer for Christmas. I do wish others who don't want to be part of anything wuld just "bow out", there's plenty of other weeks,seasons to share. Look at Beachmas! in July, it's AWESOME! Happy VERY Belated Hannuka (or a CH in there too if you want it?)
As for gifts? This year was really good, we didn't travel so Gas travel money was saved for us to spend on out kids. there was a bit of postage spent but it was under control. I LOVED IT! we save all y ear for this. 75.00 a check for 5 family members and family gifts. We pick names because we have a big extended family and that helps too.
It's so very quiet in my house today, the wii is on, Mario Galaxy was a family gift from my inlaws. WIN! :) they go overboard because they can't be with us, they send Christmas to us and it's way more overwhelming then I had as a child in a family of 5 kids.
I also put a lot of effort into having family favorite foods. I'll be up to my eyballs in sweets until February this year.

[Gina]

I think too much emphasis is placed on presents! Yeah - I'm guilty too! I know a lot of people who give ONE present. I know people who give three presents. I think it's more important to focus on the real meaning of the holiday and giving to others. But what do I know? ;)

[Kendra]

Leo got a lot of presents but mist were from others. He opened a total of 6 gifts from us and 3 packages were books! Then we gave him a hand me down bike we got from friends. And then Santa brought him 2 toys. So plenty but I don't think we went overboard!

[kaylen]

Growing up (poor), we always got one "big" gift and a couple smaller ones, like one year I got a pink cassette tape player as my big gift, and a couple cassette tapes, book and a puzzle as small ones. We always had a stocking, but it typically was things like a new hairbrush or comb, chapstick, random little things and-always-an orange in the toe of the stocking. (which we all knew was taken from the bowl in the kitchen and which always ended up back there).

I was only 18 when I had my son, so I thought of him as my little toy baby, or something like that, and spoiled him as much as I could without having to sell my soul. Looking back-that was mistake number 20 in my Parent Fail list - but now that he's older, it's easier to just narrow things down to one big item and a few small ones. I spend about $50 on small things (this includes stocking stuffers) and maybe $50-$100 on the big ticket item. But this year, he got the big guitar gift for his bday so his big ticket item for xmas was a $50 gas card-which he truly appreciated. :)

If I could go back in time, I would reduce all Xmas presents to exactly half and stash away the other half of whatever I was going to spend towards his college fund! Parent Fail #325.

[Ginny Marie]

This year, I was really upset with my sister-in-law, because she buys waaaaay too many presents for Lily and Emmy. And it's just too much, like she's just grabbing things off the shelf to wrap and give to the girls. I feel like she's trying to compete with my husband and me in the gift giving department, and that really pisses me off! She does have two children of her own! Fortunately, since I know what my girls really like, they end up playing with the toys I buy them more than the stuff she gets them. And I can't blog about it because I'm afraid that will be the one post she reads. So I'll just vent about it in this really long comment. ;)

[VandyJ]

We try to keep tings within reason for the boys--about 5-10 presents from us and Santa. Add in the grandparents and uncles and they do very well but nothing extravagant, really. As they get older there will probably be a large gift--expensive and several smaller gifts. That was what I got growing up.
Good to hear your Christmas was good. Happy New Year!!

[Gretchen]

Santa usually brings Jude one big ticket item plus several less exciting things (books, socks, puzzles). This year, he got two things, because...sigh...he asked for them both, and well, what can I say. He's been very good. And every Christmas Eve, he has one present from Jimmy and I, which is always a pair of Christmas pajamas. Seems boring, but Jude loves it because it's a tradition that my parents did for me when I was little. Sweet.

[Peg]

That's the one thing I really dislike about Christmas is the commercialism. Just really irks me. It shouldn't be about how one person can outdo another but that's what happes.

[Laufa]

Oh I love your Spirit!! I would have loved to be at your parents house, just to see the merriment. Amazing how grandparents get it and play it up just as much as the kids believe in it.