Tis the Season...

So tomorrow is December 1. That means that the tree will soon come out of the closet and I have to find the Advent calendar. I only have one. I know that some people get one for each of their kids, but I think it is important for them to learn to take turns. On the 25th, the pocket in the calendar is big enough for 2 candies so they each get one on that day. Once again I face this season with mixed feelings. The gift giving thing is fraught with peril. With some people I feel like I never get the right thing and that it one of my major issues. I am trying to "give it away", but I want to feel like the thought was appreciated. The other major gift issue I have is because I find the season so excessive especially with the kids stuff. I don't want my kids to feel deprived because they didn't get as much stuff as others, but they don't really need anything and some people give way too much to their kids. I shouldn't worry. My kids are pretty good about appreciating what they get. I know that no matter how restrained I think I am being, after the wrapping paper is disposed of, I will feel like it was all too much. So, what to do? I don't know.

I put lights up on our little tree in the front yard. I have always wanted outdoor lights on my house and for some reason Mark has been resistant to doing it. I couldn't handle getting on a ladder, but I bought a couple strings of lights and popped them up on the lilac tree. I also have indoor lights hanging in the front window so it feels festive to me. I don't really know why I want them, but the kids like them and so do I. Gibson actually gets distressed when they are not turned on - but I explained to him we turn them off in the daytime.

I also wrote my Christmas letter. Then I read a smarmy article in O magazine about those letters and I feel crappy about it. I don't write the letter to brag, but because I like to read what others are doing so I assume other people do too. Some things, particularly negative things, don't feel appropriate for those letters because they go in every envelope. What I might say to my best friend is quite different from what I would tell Mark's great-aunt. The letter has to be generic enough for everyone.

Comments

Annemarie said…
I like reading Christmas letters too. Sure, there are times I might snicker at someone's generic Christmas letter, but if they didn't write the generic one, I'm sure I would find myself snickering at the content of their personal letter as well. I don't know the Oprah comment, but I think that there are people who will view things negatively no matter what. I don't think it's the concept of the generic letter that's bad....
12/02/2007 1:46 PM
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