12.26.2018

Resisting All That Stuff : We Did Christmas a Little Different This Year

As I sit here and type this I'm listening to the kids play with the new things they received for Christmas this year. Except, most of those things didn't come from us...

This is the first year we (I) really stuck to our (my) guns about gifting the kids something they want, need, wear and read. I even took it one step further and lumped the "need" and "wear" together.

In all, on Christmas Day, the kids opened three gifts from us, and aside from some stocking stuffers, just a single gift from Santa.

At first I was worried there wouldn't be enough stuff for them to open. But, really, since when does the number of items under a tree equal love, affection, and the actual meaning of Christmas? I'll answer that one on my own. Never.

Plus, when all the wrapping paper was torn off, the boxes were discarded, and the living room was good and properly messy, the kids didn't notice one bit that mom and dad had gifted them three things, or that Santa left a single gift.

It was really hard not to buy all the stuff. There were so many toys and gadgets and gizmos that would have been fun to see the kids open. But, I knew our Christmas plan would be worth the willpower of resisting all that stuff.

And, between the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, the kids had plenty to unwrap on Christmas morning.

And, let's be honest, our (town)home is small. We don't have a ton of extra storage for stuff. We barely have room for the things we genuinely need and use. And, I am just so.damn.tired. of crap cluttering our house. Stuff that gets played with for a few weeks. The novelty of the newness wearing off. Then it all just sits to collect dusts for a year before it's time for yet another to purge to make room for more new stuff.

In lieu of lots of presents, we decided to take the kids on a Christmas trip (which I hope to post about soon). It was the best holiday decision we've ever made. We took the money we would have used on stuff and put it towards experiences. We saw shows, ate good food, experienced things we hadn't seen or done before as a family. We made memories that are priceless, more valuable than anything from a store, with a price tag, and require batteries.

Maybe next year we do all the gifts again, but I doubt it.

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