Joshua: "Papa guess what mommy said, we're only getting ONE Christmas gift on Christmas."
Papa: "I know she told me already."
Joshua: "That sucks huh, I want a lotta gifts."
Papa: "Yeah but that's not what Christmas is about, it's about giving."
I kid you not, that is EXACTLY what Papa said. Lome can tell you cause he told her the same thing yesterday! LOL But seriously, that made me want to switch the original plan and buy the boy whatever his heart desired.
In previous years we've had MOUNTAINS of gifts for all of the kids. One from all the aunts/uncles, grandparents, parents, friends etc. Here is a picture from Christmas 2008-
This year we (as in the whole Washington St. clan) decided to scale back A LOT. I couldn't help but feel ashamed after realizing how unnecessary it was becoming. We were focusing too much on the materialistic things and not enough on the "reason for the season". Obviously I wanted my kids and siblings to have the best Christmas possible. I wanted these amazing Christmas mornings to be embedded in their memories forever. After a couple of years of breaking my back (and our bank!) trying to fulfill my own idea of what Christmas should be, I realized that we were doing everyone a huge disservice. I didn't have huge piles of gifts growing up, I never got the latest or greatest. One year I remember getting a Sega game system. THAT was the best Christmas ever but there was a catch. The Sega was the only gift for all of us siblings that year. Just the one Sega system and the Sonic the Hedgehog game. But we weren't complaining! It still sticks out as one of the best Christmas's ever!
So why was I trying to overdo it as an adult? As hard as it is, I'm sticking to the rule and just getting gifts for the two kids I picked this year. I would LOVE to get something for my younger sisters to show my appreciation and it's so hard to resist the cute outfit on sale for Kylee or the hat that I know Bruh Bruh Hati would love. But it's the idea of them being humble, down to earth, truly appreciative kids that sticks out to me now more than before. Not that they aren't all amazingly appreciative, humble and down to earth. But with a few more years of gift mountains, that could easily change. They don't need everything on their wish list. I couldn't get it all if I tried. What they really need is to learn the most basic lesson that Papa loves to repeat. It's not about what you get, it's more about what you give.
So when Joshy called me to confirm one more time that it was really true, I happily answered "Yup, just one gift Joshy". One material gift that is. He still has no idea about the lifelong gift that he is getting in the form of a lesson this year. He can stare long and hard at the pictures from Christmas' before, that'll be the last mountain of gifts he'll ever see on Christmas morning.
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