Christmas 2011

Christmas was fantastic. A few highlights:

Class Parties



Family Service Project

Christmas Eve

A quiet Christmas Eve Dinner

Making Cookies for Santa

Sibling Gift Exchange

Tracking Santa

Christmas PJ'S

He Came!

A few things I learned this year:

1. I don't need to plan 500 activities and traditions.  After hyperventilating about the gazillion ideas on pinterest (anyone else do this?), I decided that simplicity was the only answer for me. We chose about 3 things to do over the season and enjoyed the rest of it relaxing and playing. The activities we did do were special and meaningful.

2. A few really good quality gifts are better than a whole bunch of "filler" gifts just to have a lot to open. I've been working on this for a couple of years, but I nailed it this year.

3. Maybe it's because I realized how quickly my kids are growing and that in a matter of 2 to 3 years there will be no more "believers" in our home, or if it's just I'm finally relaxing about some things in life, but the jolly man with the red suit and white beard has grown on me. In my quest to teach my kids the true meaning of Christmas, I have often had a bad attitude about Santa.  I've learned I can get into the magic and fun of it without feeling like I'm betraying baby Jesus. I had more fun being magical with my kids then I ever have.  And what do you know... they still know without a doubt the true meaning of Christmas.  I wish I would've learned this a long time ago...

4. This year instead of giving my kids a $5 budget for each other, I let them buy something nicer that I probably would buy, but instead let them do it.  Instead of choosing junk that nobody cares about, they were SO excited when I told them they could buy something their sibling was actually hoping for.  Each gift was well thought out and received with such joy and enthusiasm.  This is definately the way we'll do it every year.

5. It truly is better to give than to receive. But oh, I love to get presents too.