It happened to me this weekend. We were in a toy store looking for one particular gift, and I could feel the tension rising. All around me, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all grabbing up gifts left and right. An item that my daughter admired was no longer on the shelf when I returned to the store 30 minutes later. Neither was the other two copies of it.
It was late in a long day and I was tired. I grabbed up a couple of extra things for the kids in case they weren’t there later and headed to the cashier. While in line, I started to panic. How much was this all going to affect our budget? How many extra hours would we have to work to pay for it all?
Even with that concern about spending too much, I felt guilty. While their friends were reciting long lists of gifts that they knew they would get, such as iPods, video game systems and more, my kids had very simple lists: some sweaters, a simple game, a remote control car, a pillow pet. What nine year old asks for sweaters for Christmas? I wondered whether or not the kids were being deprived in comparison with other kids.
But the truth is that they are probably more sane and focused than I am during the holidays. And while an iPod may not be something anyone in our household will find under the Christmas tree this year, we have been doing well in our celebrating.
We’ve enjoyed several fun holiday events and have even done some volunteering. We all still get excited by the lights in the neighborhood and a little bit of snow that came our way. We are thankful for the unexpected blessings that find their way to our door. We have been enjoying several cups of hot chocolate and pockets filled with candy canes. These are the things I hope that we will remember from Christmas 2010.
I have to keep reminding myself to relax and let go. To enjoy the magic moments that not worry so much about the size of our budget. And to get pleasure out of finding the best possible sweaters for a nine year old boy.
Related Posts:
Keeping the Holiday Spirit When You Feel Like Scrooge