Every year, I approach Christmas with an assortment of emotions.
Anger (because why do stores start putting out decorations before Halloween?!). Dread. Denial (which includes putting off the whole gift-buying until the very last minute). Panic. Desperation. Enjoyment. Relief.
There are aspects of Christmas I love – the celebration of the birth of Jesus, which is the reason behind the holiday, and the opportunities for family togetherness and good food. By the time the third or fourth gathering comes around, though, I just want the planning, cooking, buying and driving – mostly the driving – to be over with.
I really love Christmas movies and Christmas specials. I could watch those over and over anytime of the year. My favorites are the cartoon classics, Grinch, “Christmas Story,” “Elf” … who am I kidding ? All of them are my favorite. I also really like Christmas music but not before November, preferably after Thanksgiving.
The thing about Christmas is … well, just so much of it is about spending money you don’t have. With all that commercialism, I feel like the spirit of the season is nearly lost. So, during most of the season, I feel like I’m just stuck in Grinch mode.
Every December I tell myself I’ll do better next year. I will buy Christmas presents throughout the year. That’s a good idea, but it never happens. Maybe I like to torture myself instead of allowing myself to relax and enjoy the season.
There’s another thing about Christmas … Buying gifts for my wonderful stepchildren is no longer as fun. It’s just so much more fun when they’re young.
I remember our first Christmas together 13 years ago. Todd and I had been dating for about two months and the children ranged from 3 to 15. It was a blast helping him pick out shopping carts full of fun stuff for the kids – dolls, cars, boots, jewelry-making crafts. That first year, we took all the gifts back to my house and filled up my entire spare bedroom.
Christmas morning rolled around, and the kids woke up so early and so excited. They couldn’t wait to open all their presents. We made them wait until everyone was ready for gift-opening time. Their eyes got so big when they opened a present they loved. You could see true, innocent joy in their faces.
The youngest stopped playing with toys a good five years ago, and she won’t wear any article of clothing we buy her. That goes for most of the other kids.
The second youngest had been the easiest and the most fun to buy for. Ever since he could talk, he has been fascinated with anything with wheels. It was all he could talk about for the first 16 years of his life. Just ask any of his teachers.
Back then, Hot Wheels, remote-controlled cars, model cars, anything car-related made his day. He could identify the make and model of any vehicle on the highway.
While he is still just as fascinated with cars, he’s no longer into toy cars. In fact, he just bought his first beast of a car. Recently I gave him an AutoZone gift card, and he thought it was a weird gift, but he easily spent it.
The third youngest, God love her, pretended to believe in Santa for a long time to help keep the magic alive.
None of the kids ever liked any of the video games we picked out for them. Believe me, we tried buying nonviolent, sale-item video games we thought they’d enjoy but failed big time. We bought a Ping-Pong table once, thinking it was a great gift, but it was seldom used. We even bought an expensive family gift a few years ago – a pool table, which also doesn’t get used very often, but it has provided enough fun to make it worthwhile.
A few years ago, we came up with this great idea to get the kids something they would like and use: season passes to Six Flags. It worked great for a couple of years, but one of them has already purchased 2025 Six Flags season passes for himself and a sibling, so that’s not going to work this year. It was a good plan for a while.
I have no idea what to give them this year. My husband doesn’t like the idea of just giving out gift cards or money because there is so little thought behind those. But college-age and high school-age kids can always use money or gift cards, right? But, I do understand where he is coming from.
At least one of the kids still thinks Christmas is the most magical time of the year. Truth be told, a couple of them feel that way.
And, if I’m being totally honest, most of us like playing the part of Santa – planting a bit of magic and joy in someone’s heart, even if it’s for a minute. It’s just not always easy.
Ugh! Bah, Humbug! Merry Christmas! I just can’t commit. Someone just decide for me if I should stay in Grinch mode or advance to Santa’s cheery elf.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!