Christmas is wonderful. The feelings in the air, the brotherly kindness, the greedy demands of unrealistic children... I have always had this feeling of dread when it came to the gifting part of the season. My greatest fear has always been having that disappointed child on Christmas morning...
There is a fine line between wanting your children to feel the "magic" of Christmas and needing them to be realistic in their expectations and hopes. Especially when they seem to be surrounded by friends who have their every hearts' desires met.
Or do they?
I realized something lately, and it's a lesson I wish I had learned a long time ago. I realized that the main problem that I have when faced with my children's wants is this:
They are seeing the cool toys of all of their friends and thinking that they need to have it ALL; forgetting that even though one friend has this cool thing, they don't have that cool thing that this other friend has. And so on. And so on. Until there are 6 families worth of toys rolled into the wishes of my one child. As if my kids have created this imaginary friend who has unlimited resources and indulgent parents.
No wonder I always felt like I couldn't compete.
I can't. It's imaginary.
With this realization, I have gained some much needed perspective. And I think that I will be able to manage the present part of the season much more peacefully. This year, the emphasis will be on experiencing the Christmas season, instead of so much on the THINGS they want. I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds!
What are some of the ways that you help your family experience Christmas?
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