Why does it seem that Christmas time is becoming more and more about what you get? I have to admit that I enjoy giving gifts to my family because I love to see the look on their face when they open the gift and see that they are truly surprised and enjoy what I have thoughtfully picked out for them.
I for one hate the "Christmas list" concept. I get asked every year "what is on your list" and I can never think of anything more than a pair of gloves, a scarf or a hat. Is it because I am not a needy person? Could it be it is because I am not a diva or a person who is spoiled beyond belief? I don't know.
I enjoy trying to figure out what people would like, what they are into and really think about the gift I am giving instead of just picking up what they have asked. I don't often ask my son what he wants for Christmas but each and every year he truly appreciates anything he receives (with the exception for the red mitts but that is for another time). I know that my youngest niece is a real girly girl who loves baby dolls, dresses and monkeys, my next youngest niece plays hockey and is an artistic type of person. My son enjoys reading, graphic novels, photography, Star Wars books & movies as well as Alien/Preditor. He used to enjoy K'nex and Harry Potter, well, he actually still likes Harry Potter. The point is that I have gotten to know my family and can choose a gift without asking them. I was looking for something to pamper my mother in law with, like a gift certificate to Oasis spa or something but instead I get told exactly what she would like and even where to get it...where is the fun in that.
I also enjoy spending time with my family over the holidays but that has also become more of a chore than it should be. Every Christmas Eve we spend with my dad's side of the family, and have done so for as long as I can remember. Christmas Morning I go over to my in-law's house to open gifts. Christmas Dinner is also at my inlaw's so we are back there again in the afternoon. Boxing day is where it gets to be a bit of a mess. My mother-in-law's family often gets together on Boxing day for dinner and a few ends of curling and every year my husband doesn't want to go. He really doesn't like curling at all. Also, I used to spend Boxing day with my mom and the rest of my family, but they seem to get pushed back each year...why.
There were a few years where my mother and sisters were invited to my in-law's for Christmas Dinner - what a great idea, killed two birds with one stone...but it was short lived and I don't remember why. It could have been that someone spilled something on the carpet or my father-in-law could handle the chaos a 3 year old brings - who knows anymore. The point is that now my mother has been bumped from the "Christmas Dinner" and they are looking to bump her from Boxing Day as well. At least this year we got it figured out and will be going to my mom's for Boxing Day Brunch...could this be the solution?
Maybe next year I will spend Christmas in the Caribbean!
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