Sunday, November 15, 2009

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.....


First of all - I have heard from a few of you that the comments function is not working.
Blogger has been trying to fix it. I hope it works today!
If not - feel free to email me. My email is in the right hand column.
Now to business....

The Christmas tingle has started. Personally, I have a rule - no Christmas until December 1st. The stores did not get my memo. The supermarkets did not get my memo either.
The Christmas music is playing, the shops have trees in their windows and are full of Christmas food and decorations. I find it too much and I celebrate Christmas.

The Six year old however, LOVES it. She is on the third draft of her letter to Santa.
We have had to establish some guidelines.
Rule one: You may ask Santa for no more than three things.
Rule two: They need to be small enough to fit in his sleigh IE: no ponies.
Rule three: Writing three things in one sentence counts as three things not one.

We are trying to have a philosophy of less is more. Less commercialism, more tradition.
It's a lovely idea. The odds are stacked against me.
Even the postman is in on it. Yesterday he brought an American Girl catalogue.
Have you seen one? I'm a grown woman and I want at least twenty things in it.

Felicity Merriman may have the biggest stack of presents under the tree this year.
(Have boys? Go Google it and come back.)
You can choose everything for her from jewelry to furniture.

When I was a kid - there were no big toy stores. There was the toy department in big stores. We went there and looked in awe and wonder at the shelves. There was one type of train, one type of dolls house, one bear etc - you chose from that selection.
Now our children go to warehouses were dolls alone can have up to six aisles.
No wonder their wish lists are ten feet long - who wouldn't want it all?

Since they are barraged by images of all the wondrous toys and games there are from six weeks before the big day, how can we blame them for their enormous wants.
Couple that with the desire to see their delighted faces as they open their gifts, perhaps the wish to give what we ourselves didn't get - it's a very slippery slope.

For now I am resolutely standing firm at the top of that slope - but it is only November. Sigh.

I will continue with hand making some gifts. I will continue to talk to her about needs versus want, about abundance and limits.
I will also take her to the mall to sit on Santa's knee and help her mail her letter to the North Pole BUT not until December 1st.

10 comments:

  1. We have to level set our kids too. But I find they are really okay with it.

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  2. I totally agree with you! I think sometimes now that kids are too spoiled and not made to work for things that they would like!

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  3. My kids got their "Hanukkah bushes" up. Really colored trees with lights on them and lots of cool ornaments, and I saw a Walgreen's Christmas commercial and I was wearing shorts today!

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  4. This battle takes place every year at my house too. Usually I can keep Christmas away but this year the kids joined in so I say, let Christmas come.

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  5. totally agree with you! I think sometimes now that kids are too spoiled and not made to work for things that they would like! Work from home India

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  6. As this is Ethan's first "real" xmas (he was just shy of 3 months last year), my husband is trying to set limits and restrictions on ME! LOL.

    He says Ethan doesn't need everything. I say but I want him to have it. He, of course, is right. Shhh....don't tell.

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  7. Over the weekend, my kids got mad and wanted to leave the store because it was already playing Christmas music!!! I had to make them wait until I could at least grab them each a pair of jeans!

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  8. I went to the mall last week and had to leave within 15 minutes because the assault of Christmas music both in the hallways and then inside the stores was too much for me to handle. And I love Christmas music!

    Sweetpea was so focused on Hallowe'en (and hasn't been to a mall lately) that I don't think Christmas is on her radar. Yet. But we only ever ask (and receive) one present from Santa which keeps the hysteria to a controllable level.

    Here we go!

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  9. I applaud your efforts to focus on the tradition and less on the presents, but you're right, the deck is stacked against you on that one.

    I'm also trying to put Christmas spirit off until December, but I may or may not download the music from the Nutcracker to my iPod in the next few days.

    Must.... fight... tinsel and... mistletoe!

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  10. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmastime! It is my absolute favorite time of the year. However, I do not like that they start to bombard us with it beginning in October, especially since my family celebrates it until the Epiphany on January 6th. I wish they would wait at least until much closer to Thanksgiving. I remember when I was little, Thanksgiving night signaled the beginning of Christmastime. When we drove home from my grandparents house after Thanksgiving dinner, we would see all the pretty Christmas lights that were turned on that night. Then, when we got home 'The Sound of Music' was always on. Oh, how I miss those days! I also remember the Sears Christmas catalog. My siblings and I LOVED to look at it and dream - although I don't think we ever got a thing that was in it! I know things are always going to change - I just wish some things wouldn't.

    I'm stopping by from SITS! I just wanted to share a bit of comment love. ♥ I hope the rest of your week is wonderful.

    Teresa <><

    http://toomanyheartbeats.blogspot.com

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