I’ve worked in corporate America for 25 years. I’ve been a part of so many pre-holiday and post holiday conversations with other parents over the almighty dollar , how much each child’s present was and how much debt they’re in now. I’ve looked at countless worried faces over how to pay those bills and listened to many cry over their kid’s ungrateful attitude over a gift that cost them their bonus.
Even now, I see memes everywhere talking about how kids these days only want iPads, iPhones, iWatches, iTVs….you get where I’m going with this. We think kids just woke up one morning and decided they wanted gifts worth our entire paycheck. And folks who can’t afford these things for their children cry over and over because they measure their worth as a parent by the total dollar amount underneath the tree. They plague themselves with guilt and shame over this and talk about it being a ‘bad’ Christmas.
I’ve been there. I know what I’m talking about.
But guess what?
It’s never a bad Christmas when you can spend time with your kids and make it count. I’m 55 years old and I can tell you that I truly don’t remember each Christmas gift I’ve ever received. I can probably recall a few that were truly magical. Probably my favorite Christmas gift of all was when my Dad painstakingly took all our family photos that were on projector slides and converted them to a disc. My whole life on a downloadable CD allowing me to view these precious times over and over again. (It’s still my favorite gift ever!)
If you ask my girls to list their gifts received over the years, they wouldn’t be to do it. But they can recall memories. They remember when their Grandma came down to Texas to spend Christmas with them. They remember every Christmas party at their Papa’s house. They remember learning family cookie recipes. They remember Christmas mornings in bed with me while we snugged and waited for an acceptable time to open gifts. They remember how my mother danced in the living room to Feliz Navidad and watching Christmas shows on TV with her.
Time. Effort. Joy. Traditions. These are the things that count.
Your presence in their lives is worth so much more than presents under the tree.
It’s the same for decorations. I came across a person who was showing off her multiple Christmas trees, all with an aesthetic. One was blue, another red and white, another green, another for a sports team….each one looking like it came right out of the How To Decorate a Tree at Christmas section of Pinterest. These trees may be pretty but they’re weren’t warm. None of the trees told me a story about the people who decorated them.
I’ve had so many Christmas trees in my life! From my grandmother’s silver aluminum tree to the tree from my Aunt Ro’s house to my Dad and stepmom’s tree to my own, each one is full of memories. Each ornament has a story. My tree is a mixture of ornaments that represent my life. Old Avon ornaments from my mother. Black cats and plastic coffee cup ornaments for my Shelby. Ornaments from all my dad and stepmom’s travels. A few handmade ones. And even one from my mother’s childhood. Each one tells a story.
Who cares if your tree doesn’t look like the one on Instagram?! Putting up a Christmas tree is an opportunity for your family to gather together. Be creative. Have fun.
Create a memory and make it a core memory!
So this Christmas, take a load off. Release some pressure. Make a gift instead of buying one. Spend time with your kids instead of working overtime to buy them the latest technology. Get out those ornaments and put them on your tree and as you do, take a moment to recall the story behind it and tell it to your kids. Put extra lights on tree and have a slumber party under it.
Start a new tradition this year and put your wallet away. Budget time – not money. I promise you’ll have the merriest Christmas ever!
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!
Faith Love n Joy 