Not like the ones I used to know

When it comes to celebrating the holidays as a parent to small children, I struggle. Luke and I, we get so bogged down by day-to-day rituals that it's hard to find energy for "extra" things like gingerbread houses and Christmas caroling. It's funny, because growing up my family didn't do those types of things, just did the basics like Santa Claus and stockings, and that was good enough for me, but now as an adult I feel all this pressure to step it up a notch for my own kids. Kara was barely a week old for her first Christmas, so it wasn't an issue then, but I definitely felt guilty last year when pregnancy invaded every fiber of my being and it was all I could do just to get her presents wrapped and under the tree. No cookies in the oven, no wreath on the door, no snowman in the back yard; we didn't even go to church. Not that Kara noticed any of this. But I felt like a failure in terms of maximizing her Christmas experience.

This year, I was easier on myself. Two babies in two years takes a lot of adjusting to, more than I realized, and I figure it's okay to skimp on the extras while we're still getting our sea legs. There's plenty of time for crafts and baking and any other traditions we may want to take on in the future. So until then, Luke and I are keeping things simple. This year we focused on decorating our house early in the season, enjoying the chaos of Black Friday while Luke's parents watched the kids, and introducing Kara to Santa Claus and the story of Jesus's birth.

The actual holiday was also low-key; thanks to all the half days I took in October and November to care for sick babies, I had to work on Christmas Eve, but we still managed to get ourselves to church that night (thankfully there was a service at seven geared towards families with kids) and leave our first snack of milk and cookies for Santa when we got home. We gave the kids baths and dolled them up in festive pajamas and gathered them together for a reading of The Night Before Christmas before putting them to bed. And once they were asleep, Luke and I finished wrapping their presents, made some popcorn, caught up on some TV, and went to bed, visions of a full night's sleep dancing in our heads, instead of sugarplums.

The kids were up by six-thirty the next morning, ready to start the day.

 

Kara observing evidence of Santa's arrival. Santa was a big fan of Mrs. Fields' chocolate chip cookies.

 

Checking out the goods.

 

The kids go ape over snowmen these days, so the wrapping paper alone would have been enough to occupy them for hours. Why even bother with presents?

 

Yessiree Bob, that is some pretty spectacular wrapping paper. We could sit here all day and just hang out with this here wrapping paper. Momma and Daddy aren't in for a long morning at all!

Did you know that stockings could actually be used for their original intended purpose? Here, let Kara model one for you.

Time for the adults to reclaim Christmas. Open your presents already!

What, doesn't everybody pull off three inches of paper at a time?

Finally getting into the spirit and enjoying their puzzles. The Little People house you see in the background was Kara's birthday present.

 

Luke examining Kara's fire truck. She is still all about transportation and it showed in her gifts.

Luke reading one of several new books, Sandra Boynton's Barnyard Dance!, which is freaking awesome.

Nathan checking out his new phone among piles of mega blocks, Kara's feet swinging in the background.

Me and the kids. The picture quality is just meh, but Kara's pucker is priceless.

Mother and son mugging for the camera. To say I felt more myself this Christmas than the past two combined would be a severe understatement, and I think it shows here, how content I am.

The loot. Luke and I had such a fun time picking out gifts this year, working hard to find the right balance of plastic crap with handmade dolls, puzzles, and books. Initially there were two more presents in the mix, a tea set for Kara and trio of Melissa and Doug vehicles for Nathan, but the night before Christmas Eve I had everything grouped together and was overwhelmed with the feeling that it was all too much for children so young. So we put the tea set aside to return to Target and took away Nathan's vehicles, to be included as part of his birthday present. And yet it STILL took us an hour to get through everything, and it was hard to remain patient, but one day when they're school-aged and tearing through their stuff in ten minutes, I will look back on this day and be thankful for the chance to savor it all: the ability to spoil our kids without breaking the bank on trendy clothes and gadgets, their joy in discovering new things, adults finding peace amid chaos. A merry Christmas, indeed, overall.

Comments

[Jen L.]

They got awesome loot. And Nathan's reindeer feet kind of made my day. (When did he get so big?!!?) Our kids could totally hang out--they have complimentary toys! Dean got a Little People farm and garage and 2 mega-block trucks. Barnyard Dance is one of our favorites!

The holidays are overwhelming, especially for all of us with December/January babies. Dean got so much stuff from his grandparents that it took us almost a full week to finish opening his Christmas gifts.(He'd get distracted, so we'd give up for a while.) By then, it was time for his birthday party. Fortunately, we were able to clean out some old toys and bring in the new.

So glad your holidays were happy!!

[Katie]

Hey, Kayla got that same phone! I think it's super nifty! And she was big on tearing only 3 inches of paper at a time as well... when she was interested in the paper. She did much better with bags and tissue paper. And our present opening lasted much longer than I would have liked as well but my MIL went crazy with the presents so that combined with a slow opener and more of a desire to chew on a computer manual than actually opening gifts made for a long Christmas day. lol. Fun times!

[eva]

I love that you just came out and said it: the balance of "plastic crap" and handmade stuff/books. That's exactly how I refer to Megan's toys: plastic crap. In the most affectionate way possible because she LOVES plastic crap!

And I love how you didn't overdo Christmas. The whole point of the holiday is ... something about being together with the family and the manger birth right? Sounds like you hit it spot on. Kids don't need much fanfare at all, and I think too much is just too stressful for all involved.

[Molly]

See the picture of Nathan amidst the blocks? Holding the phone? ...That look on his face?? "Hey, Ma! Would you mind a little privacy here? I'm tryin to call my godmotha on Christmas!"

(No, I don't know where his New York accent came from either. But what a sweet boy he is to call me for the holidays.)

[rkmama]

Christmas jammies are the best. So is Barnyard Dance. So glad you got to enjoy your Christmas, what a difference a year can make!

[AJU5's Mom]

Sounds like a great Christmas. I did learn this year that making Christmas dinner isn't too hard, but it does make Christmas morning a little less fun...

[daddyd]

Nice balance of all factors in putting together their Christmas. Good job to all.

[Grandma Molly]

And you have created some very warm and fond memories. The Kara viewing the cookies that Santa ate and Kara wearing the stocking are memorable moments.

Since our family traveled at Christmas, I am not sure how many memories we created for our sons. However, as a child I have a few fond memories, once my mother read the Christmas story from Luke (my favorite version), and another time my dad and I went to pick out a Christmas tree at a seed store on Christmas Eve. We did not have a car so we brought the tree home in a wooden wagon.