When I woke up this morning, I decided to pack up the baby and go get his last Christmas present. I'm really excited to celebrate Christmas this year. There's just something about having a baby that makes this time of year so much more exciting.
On the way to the store, I stopped at Starbucks. They sent me a postcard for a free drink on my birthday! So, of course, I got a delicious drink that I would never have bought otherwise. My venti gingerbread latte (decaf and dairy free, since little man's tummy is so sensitive) would have cost me $5.83...yikes! What a good treat :)
When I got to the Family Christian Bookstore, the older lady at the door practically yelled, "Hey! How are you and your little shopping buddy doing?!" Even without a baby on my arm, her volume would have been a little much. I smiled and quietly responded, "Well, he's sleeping, so I'm good." Obviously not taking the hint, she yells, "He's sleeping; so you're doing great, huh?!" Not for long, lady. Not for long. Oh well, it made me chuckle. He woke up, but I only had to get one thing, so it was no big deal.
When we knew we'd be together for the long haul, Dustin and I decided that we didn't want our Christmases to be so commercial as the standard American holiday. Along that line, there won't be any Santa in our house, and last year we heard of someone only giving each of their children three gifts, and we thought that sounded great! The concept is that three gifts were good enough for Jesus, so that's good enough for our kids. It might seem a little corny, but that wouldn't be the first corny thing we've ever done :) Although that was the original concept, it was really appealing to us because we had decided long before not to allow ourselves to become materialistic at Christmas or otherwise. We want to give to people who actually have needs, rather than continue to fill our house with more stuff!
Now that we have a baby, we realize that this will likely be a challenge at times (buying gifts for Josiah is so fun!), but it also comes with more benefits. For instance, limiting ourselves to buying three gifts means that each one is thought out and meaningful to our child. It also cuts down on time spent in stores. Knowing exactly what we're going to buy allows us to "get in and get out" or to simply order gifts online. I love getting packages in the mail, even if they aren't for me!
I'm so excited about Josiah's three gifts. Waiting until Christmas to give them to him is so hard!
Love this post Felisha. We should talk about the santa thing. We aren't having a santa either and it is now to the point we are having to face talking to her about it ... not sure what to say and what not to say ... love the 3 gift idea!! :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't emphasize Santa, though we don't ignore him either...we just don't make a big deal of it. Santa doesn't bring presents in our house. I vividly (and ashamedly) remember one Christmas when I was bitter and spoiled about what I didn't receive, and those emotions were rooted in the fact that Santa and his eleves can make ANYTHING, so why hadn't they brought me what I wanted?! If I had understood that my parents, who were so poor at the time, had loved me enough to sacrifice and buy me the presents I DID get, I'd like to believe I wouldn't have behaved that way. It's important to me that our boys understand that gifts are given out of sacrifice and love, not magic and entitlement.
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