The steam is building, I can feel it. Christmas is coming. Coming in the ads in the Sunday paper, coming in the catalogues delivered by the mail lady, coming in the Christmas songs that my kids and I can be seen dancing around the house to more often than I am ready to admit. It’s true. Around here, we…love…Christmas!
We love that it’s Jesus’ birthday and we love Christmas trees. We love snowflakes and snowmen and we love Christmas cookies. We love advent calendars and we love family traditions. We love our new nativity and we love stockings. Oh, and do we ever love ornaments – lots and lots of ornaments and lights and ribbon and wreaths and candles and Christmas stories and Christmas movies and gingerbread houses. Oh yes, we. love. Christmas.
But with all of the splendor of Christmas – not to mention my own childlike excitement – it’s important to me to reign in it just a bit for my kids, particularly Tyler since he is at a ripe age to hop on the runaway train of materialistic, greedy, Christmas consumerism. While I want him to experience all the joy and tradition that makes Christmas so wonderful, it is my priority to make sure that he is not so distracted by all of the glorious trimming and trappings of the holiday that he confuses, or even misses, the reason we celebrate.
He has heard the Christmas story – the story of Jesus’ birth – in board books, in Sunday School lessons, straight from the Bible and from various other sources for several years now and he can relay it back to us quite well. But this year, as the Christmas steam is building, I wanted to work more on the concept of giving rather than receiving.
With the gradual increase in toy ads, commercials and catalogues that have been floating around our home the list of “I wants” has been accumulating just as quickly. Imagine my delight yesterday when, after listing a few more “I wants” Tyler stopped and thoughtfully asked, “mommy, what could I get you for Christmas this year?” Sweet child, now we’re talking!
Wanting him to think a little harder I asked him if he could think of a nice gift for mommy. Immediately he spouted out “Mommy, I’ll get you a camera!” While that was a thoughtful idea, I reminded him that was what he and Daddy and Bailey got me for my birthday. After a longer pause, the churning in his mind evident on his face, his eyes sparkled with pride and he proclaimed, “mommy, I know the perfect present for you.” I waited anxiously, quite interested in what my little boy would think the perfect gift for his mother. It was then that he exclaimed, “a brand, new vacuum cleaner!”
Oh, the horror! While I was busy worrying about consumerism and materialism and other isms, my dear son was busy thinking that a home appliance was a suitable – no, perfect – gift for a woman you love. Wow, time to re-focus. For the sake of his future wife, I must eradicate such thinking immediately. Well…unless, of course, he was thinking of a Dyson…I may very well be able to appreciate the gift of a Dyson.
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Love it!!! Last year after thanksgiving Henry bought a new HE washer and dryer, he was proud he got such a good deal....when he came home to tell me about it and show me a picture he said "Merry Christmas!!!".....um, I don't think so! While I love them, I see them more as a neccesity, not gift material. It is sometimes hard to keep a balanced perspective on Christmas for sure...I get so sick of all the ads, TV, Catalogs, etc. I have been putting movies on for them or putting Food Network on and most of the catalogs go right into the trash...Have a Great Weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that Tyler is already thinking about what he'll get you for Christmas. What a sweet kid!
ReplyDeleteWon't it be fun for Tyler's wife someday to look back on this and read it, knowing you blessed her all those years ago! I think you said it perfectly!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Maybe, just maybe, you could work on Tyler's papa W. too!
ReplyDeleteNo doubt in my mind that Tyler will take after his mother and papa Leaverton in making holidays, birthdays and other special times very special and exciting. He's learning from the best!
Candace has an awesome tradition that I want to start this year...I have been shopping for a re-usable, very cool advent calendar so I can do it too...
ReplyDeleteEvery day when the kids get something out of the advent calendar, they write what they did that day that was a gift to Jesus...treated someone kindly....cleaned their room, etc... I have been talking to Isaac about it and he totally gets it. I can't wait to buy the best advent calendar ever! hahaha.... this is an excellent excuse to be a consumer, right?