Christmas This Year

I am feeling good about this year's Christmas gifts for the girls.

We have a few traditional gifts we do and I made sure to get them early this year.

Tom's family tradition includes getting a chocolate orange in their stocking, and we continue that with our girls.

The first moment I saw them, I bought them.  Last year I waited and had to get all dark chocolate.  I love dark chocolate, but Tom doesn't and Evelyn didn't take all that well to it.

Another tradition we do, is Christmas Eve pajamas sent by our family's elf.  We don't do Elf on the Shelf, we have an elf that sends letters to us when Christmas get's closer.

This year, I bought them now, and got them matching slippers.

We live in South Texas and slippers are not all that necessary.  Especially this year.  It's a nice day if the temperature stays below 80゜Fahrenheit.

I did something this Christmas Holiday, that I hadn't really done before, I made a list of all the gifts I wanted to buy the girls, and kept to that list.

When you are preparing to buy, order, and make Christmas gifts, or any holiday's gifts, make a check list of the gifts.  If you have older kids that can read, put it in your phone, email it to yourself.  You can hide it.  My kids can't read, or at least not enough that I must hide my list, but I know that I will need to be a little more vigilant next year.  Stick to your list with a dying passion and you will save yourself from over spending, as long as your make your list reasonable to start with.  Don't put impossible to get gifts, or project gifts you might not finish; that will only add to the holiday stress many of us suffer through.  I kept my list on a notes page in my planner.  If you use a planner, this is a great place to put your list.  Another way, is write your list on index cards and keep them in your wallet, then you will have it when you shop for sure!

Evelyn believes wholeheartedly in Santa, and I don't want to taint that.  Oh me, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.  Last year, she asked if Santa is real.  Before we could say anything, she said in a firm and assured voice, "I think he's real.  In fact, I know he's real."
And in turn we answered, "We think so, too."
A geek at heart, both Tom and I, we'd like to believe in that kind of magic, and we are so happy to hear Evelyn wants that, too.
What ever you celebrate this time of year, be sure you remember that it's about family, love, finding peace within yourself, and letting go of hateful things.  Even if you don't believe in a deity, the dead of winter has always been a time for giving to your fellow man.  It's sometimes when you need someone the most.  Most of us don't have to worry about our animals or crops freezing over, leaving us with little to eat, but we do have many who worry about giving their kids a 'proper' Christmas, with a feast and toys they want.  We can't always give our kids everything they want, as parents we should not let that happen for the most part, but we still want them to be happy.  We have so much to give thanks for and so much to share.  Make sure, each of your children's letter to Santa has a gift for someone else on it.  Evelyn put something for Raven, and she was very excited about what she asked Santa to bring her little sister.  I have a feeling Santa already got that one.

Hope y'all have a Merry Christmas!
And I'd love to hear from y'all!