You know what’s funny? That we thought we were scaling back this Christmas. This year, I vowed, we would not go overboard, would not stay up wrapping presents until midnight on Christmas Eve, would not get overwhelmed and start shoving presents into closets to save for birthdays. And yet, that’s EXACTLY what happened. Again.
One problem with not being a procrastinator and waiting till the last minute to buy Christmas presents is that you forget about the things you bought earlier in the year. Not only that you bought them, but where you put them, which leads to an all-out search through every room in the house for the egg-poacher thingie for your Dad and the Bendaroos for your son you swore you stashed in the linen closet.
For the record, however, I would like to point out that we were not solely responsible for the glut of gifts that arrived for our children. We have lots and lots of (perhaps overly) generous relatives who pretended to cede to our wishes for magazine subscriptions and gymnastics classes instead of toys, toys, toys, yet couldn’t help themselves from sending “just a little something to unwrap” as well.
Well, those little somethings included an electric guitar, dress-up clothes, a walk-on piano a la Tom Hanks in “Big,” Razor scooters, Angry Birds plush toys, a pirate ship, and a few dozen other toys that are currently scattered throughout my house. Want to know what my 5yo’s favorite gift was? A Santa hat. That’s right, a fuzzy, red, novelty hat that we reckon Santa himself left behind as thanks for the plate of cookies. Miles hasn’t taken the thing off since Christmas.
As for Riley, his favorites include the fireman outfit, a Mickey Mouse camping set, and some big cardboard blocks—which I suffered a bazillion paper cuts putting together, I might add. Actually, they’re both pretty pleased with everything they got, even the books and PJs, which you’d think would pale in comparison to a guitar you can hook up to an iPod so you can jam along with Green Day.
If you’re wondering what a word nerd such as myself found under the tree, the answer is: books. Some humor essays, some parenting books, a book about fonts. Yep, typefaces. That’s how I roll, people. If you want to debate the merits of Garamond vs. Arial, I’m your girl. But the crème de la crème was a new camera from my wonderful parents. Can’t wait to try it out. Maybe I’ll be able to capture Rock Star Santa in better lighting.
RANDOM FACT O’ THE DAY: This is my 100th post on this blog! Doesn’t that merit some kind of award or something? Chocolate? A bottle of wine? Anything?
ANNOUNCEMENT O’ THE DAY: I’ve decided to postpone the next session of my classes, Personal Essays that Get Published, from January until March. I’ve just got too much going on this month work-wise. Please contact me if you’re interested in signing up for the March Level 1 or Level 2 class.
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Happy 100th Post!!!
Cute pics and the new camera will only serve to make them cuter.
Oh yeah, as to the chocolate and/or wine….yes, please, I would love to have some. 🙂
Another mom I know has a “one in two out” policy. After the ridiculous MESS I just (half) cleaned up downstairs, I want to institute it, too!!!!
We ALWAYS have to shove presents back into the closet for birthdays on Christmas Eve every year, too! My husband stockpiles Lego sets and other fun things for months, then he drags them all out onto our bed on Christmas Eve. Then we commence with the “Oh my God, how did we accumulate this much stuff?”-ing and the “We can’t give him all this”-ing. It wasn’t as bad this year as it was last year, but still. Gah!
That fireman outfit is pretty dang cool. And if you don’t play chopsticks on your big piano, it will have gone to waste 😉
Congrats on 100 posts! With November and December birthdays plus Christmas, my kids are on toy overload over here. At least I only have to deal with it once a year.
Congrats on the 100th post! I’m honored to have seen Abby OTR come to life behind-the-scenes.
On Christmas Eve, as my husband and I sat in the quiet by the tree admiring what Santa brought, mixed in with wrapped gifts from mommy and daddy and the mother-in-law, we also said, “How does this happen?”
Santa put stuffed Angry Birds in the stockings. 🙂
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