It kills me that there are some men out there who genuinely believe that we can control our period the way we can control our bladders. Sex education needs a revamping ASAP
Ladybug - April 2013 Dandelion - October 2018 Angel "Aurora" - July 2020 Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021 Angel "Maxine" - January 2022 Angel "Violet" - March 2022 Baby Dove due March 2023
Maybe this is my UO, but I am agnostic as is my husband (although he was raised Catholic) and I effing LOVE celebrating Christmas and Easter and all that even though for me, there is no religious connection. I love the spirit of Christmas- giving, happiness, hope, family coming together, all the decorations and fires and candles and I love it all!
It kills me that there are some men out there who genuinely believe that we can control our period the way we can control our bladders. Sex education needs a revamping ASAP
It kills me that there are some men out there who genuinely believe that we can control our period the way we can control our bladders. Sex education needs a revamping ASAP
Hold on. There’s really guys who think this?! I mean it’s a great idea I’ll give them that. But wouldn’t women just hold it for a few hours then sit on the toilet and let it all out at once instead of using pads/tampons?! Smh.
Maybe this is my UO, but I am agnostic as is my husband (although he was raised Catholic) and I effing LOVE celebrating Christmas and Easter and all that even though for me, there is no religious connection. I love the spirit of Christmas- giving, happiness, hope, family coming together, all the decorations and fires and candles and I love it all!
I’m actually trying to figure out what I am going to do for the holidays. I figure I have at least a year and a half to do it.
For me, Santa is a colloquial figure, and the Easter Bunny is a Pagan figure claimed by Christians.
I’m Pagan, but in the same way many people are Christian. It outlines my beliefs about the potential ever after, and answers the vague questions about how the life spark works. But, generally I am not practicing.
I don’t plan to raise my child as a Pagan, instead I plan to raise them as atheist, or maybe agnostic. For me, the fun parts of the holidays have always been colloquial, and not religious. So I don’t know if there is a reason to not celebrate for the fun of having a party.
I identify as Christian, but I'm not strongly participating. I do lean somewhat agnostic. Easter doesn't really mean as much to me as it used to, but it does to my family. I do agree that Christmas has a certain feel to it and I enjoy celebrating it. We do Santa and all of that. SS's mom's side is very religious. It's nice to have a good balance for him. The go every week to church side, me being more middle of the road, and his dad being more atheist. DH and I both explain how we view things when SS asks questions. Baby will not be baptized, which is still really weird for me. However, we do not actively go to a church so I don't feel it's appropriate. For me it's more about the values and morals you're raised on and being open, understanding, and accepting of the different religions.
@kiwi2628 I’m the same with you on the holidays. I was raised catholic so I celebrated all the holidays growing up, but once I got past being a teenager, I stopped practicing and consider myself an atheist/agnostic now. Despite that, I still absolutely LOVE celebrating the holidays, and I personally just don’t have a religious association with them. Like you said, I love the spirit of Christmas/giving, and I love being all together with my family and our own traditions. DH is also atheist, and he doesn’t really get how the holidays aren’t religious for me, but I just love them separately from religion.
@kiwi2628@knottieamusements I am Culturally Jewish but atheist. I was raised by a Jewish mother and my father was Pagan. We always celebrated the holidays by putting Xmas lights and ornaments on all of our family plants. We would sometimes do a few small gifts for Hanukkah. Not going to lie, I grew up in envy of real Christmas.
My husbands family celebrates it and I’m like a 5 yr old (which is about how long I’ve been able to celebrate with them) I’m so excited by it now.
We will absolutely not pretend re: Santa and all the other similar figures, but I might at least get a tree for kid.
Re the reproductive organ convo, the number of women who think that they don't have to clean their labia/vulva because "the vagina is self cleaning" seriously concerns me. It's back to that whole, fundamental failure of sex ed thing. People should absolutely know the difference between their urinary tract/reproductive organs and their internal and external organs.
The Christmas/Easter thing is something DH and I are figuring out for ourselves right now. We have decided we aren’t comfortable celebrating either for a few different reasons that I won’t go into because it would end up being a book and not many would agree anyway. (I don’t mind explaining in a PM) I grew up celebrating both without Santa or the bunny and we for sure want to raise this baby without them too. This is our first year officially not observing those 2 holidays and we haven’t talked to either family about it yet..we live 15 hrs away from the closest family so Easter wasn’t a problem. I don’t look forward to the Christmas discussion!!
@mytrueloves we are the same! We refuse to play into Santa, easter bunny, tooth fairy. We do celebrate holidays, in our own way. DH is agnostic/atheist (not sure we're he stands with that at the moment) I was raised a mix of Catholic and mostly Southern Baptist. I suppose I fall more in the agnostic category now. But for quite some time we've celebrated Pegan holidays, and a random mix of whatever we felt Which is how we want to raise the kiddos. I want them to explore and figure out what is right for them.
Ds LOVES Santa, because he has watched all the Santa clause movies with his cousins. But he knows it as a TV show/guy that visits Memaw''s store to take pictures with him and his cousins when it's cold. He doesn't even realize it's related to Christmas, and that's the way we wanted it. He gets some gifts, but that's all. Easter, he does an easter egg hunt (because my grandparents put it on for all the great grandkids) a dinner with family, and we get him a small bucket of spring/summer toys to celebrate the coming warm months and all the new life and beginnings that come with it. No mention of the bunny or pictures with it. Halloween/ is a favorite of ours. We honor those in our families that passed, decorate, dress up and take the kiddos trick or treating. Thanksgiving is our thankful for family dinner. 4th of July is a big picnic and fire works with his family we don't normal get to see. Memorial day (the Sunday before) is his dad's family reunion. New years we celebrate with a family picked meal and sparkling cider to start our new year as a family. I think that's all we we celebrate... (well solstices) I could be wrong. I've already heard crap about how my kid is going to be "that kid" that ruins holidays/tooth fairy for other kids. We plan on talking about how other people believe these things, but if it happens it happens. *shrug*
I totally get Christmas as a holiday even for the non-religious. The spirit of love and giving transcends religion. Also it’s fun to get everyone presents. Easter I don’t get as much because it’s so much more solely focused on the resurrection, but I guess Easter egg hunts are fun regardless (and also kinda random in the context of a Christian Easter).
@DunkinDecaf that's how I feel about Easter. If you want to celebrate the equinox, I'm all for it. However, Easter (the Christian version) is about the resurrection.
DH and I aren't really religious but we do celebrate the holidays, and we'll probably go all out with Santa and the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy and all of that. I enjoyed those memories and time spent with family. It was magical to my young self and I want baby bear to have those magical memories as well. I do appreciate everyone else's perspectives on the subject though and love the adversity!
Finally back from an all day offsite for work. So drained but excited to catch up on everything.
We will most definitely celebrate ALL of those holidays with Santa and Easter Bunny and all. H wants to keep the Tooth Fairy and I am indifferent on that one, so we will do that, too. We are Christian (H was raised Catholic, I’m Episcopal) and I love the holidays for all of their gimmicky fun as well as the religious aspects. A lot of the Holy Week services still make me super teary, and I have nothing but the best holiday memories growing up. My uncle and the local fire department guy used to play the BEST Santa and come by our house. My mom told me years later that it was the fire department, and the parents would leave a bottle of booze outside of each house as a thank you. That made the memory even better. Man, I loved growing up in that town. I cannot wait to give our baby girl her own special holiday memories, it’s one of the things for which I am most excited. I hope my brother can play Santa!
I've already heard crap about how my kid is going to be "that kid" that ruins holidays/tooth fairy for other kids.
Just roll your eyes and move on. Kids figure this out for themselves, even without snot nosed older siblings or party pooper class mates. The only reason they keep playing into the fiction is to keep getting goodies from their parents.
I've already heard crap about how my kid is going to be "that kid" that ruins holidays/tooth fairy for other kids.
Just roll your eyes and move on. Kids figure this out for themselves, even without snot nosed older siblings or party pooper class mates. The only reason they keep playing into the fiction is to keep getting goodies from their parents.
Totally agree!! I feel like you're a pretty respectful lady and will raise your child to respect what/how other kiddos celebrate or believe in with out changing their experiences. Heck I still get a gift from Santa every year from my parents and the in laws, And I've been aware he's not real for a very long time lol
We kinda blend Christmas and Yule together. I figure Christmas is so commercialized that it's long past being a solely religious holiday that I can still enjoy it lol. DD is still obsessed with Santa. She knows him as a character in a story, but she LOVES that story. She loves the letters and the cookies and the reindeer, the whole 9 yards. So I always say that just because you don't try to convince your child that he's real, doesn't mean they'll miss out on all the fun.
I gotta say that when this debate comes around, my biggest pet peeve is when people imply that because we don't do Santa, my kids won't have a "magical" childhood. To which I always want to say, "I'm a practicing witch. You want to talk to me about magic?" I never do but I'd love to see the response if I did
Ladybug - April 2013 Dandelion - October 2018 Angel "Aurora" - July 2020 Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021 Angel "Maxine" - January 2022 Angel "Violet" - March 2022 Baby Dove due March 2023
I gotta say that when this debate comes around, my biggest pet peeve is when people imply that because we don't do Santa, my kids won't have a "magical" childhood. To which I always want to say, "I'm a practicing witch. You want to talk to me about magic?" I never do but I'd love to see the response if I did
That is worth quoting just for the giggle.
Thanks for adding a bit to your earlier comments. I think several of us have similar approaches if slightly different ways to describe it.
Christian here. We celebrate holidays with a combination of religion and some commercialized parts. I know DH will want to do Santa with our kid(s) . Shrug. Things like the tooth fairy I eye roll and think there is a limit on lying to your kids though I know they have fun with things like santa (but i am sure lots eye roll me as I will teach them about God and Jesus and I know lots view them as lies and stories). I will also say that I wasn't sheltered, ok probably somewhat lol, but i learned about lots of religions and beliefs and made my own decisions. Still need to discuss this to figure out what we will do in our family with a kid coming into it with holidays.
I've already heard crap about how my kid is going to be "that kid" that ruins holidays/tooth fairy for other kids.
Just roll your eyes and move on. Kids figure this out for themselves, even without snot nosed older siblings or party pooper class mates. The only reason they keep playing into the fiction is to keep getting goodies from their parents.
I disagree. I think the magic of Santa/tooth fairies etc do have value in and of themselves. Also I’m definitely going to keep doing “gifts from Santa” after my kids figure out Santa isn’t a thing. We won’t lie to our kids if they ever directly ask us if Santa is a real, corporeal person, but we will explain he’s a story about the season of giving and how he makes the holiday more special by helping us give gifts to loved ones. We will continue to do letters from Santa and leaving out cookies also. I have more to say about this (which I want to say because I know that sounds dumb) but I’m tired. Tomorrow.
@jomama1618 kids who don’t believe in Santa don’t ruin it for other kids. Some parents have always been honest with their kids from the start that Santa isn’t real, and it’s still a fun thing.
I know everyone will be totally shocked that we celebrate holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. One thing that isn't so popular, especially with my in laws, I don't love the holidays, especially Christmas. I really dislike how it's been so commercialized and turned into a gift-grabby, give me stuff kind of celebration. I don't mean everyone is that way, or feels that way. It's just really mind-blowing how much money we shell out for gifts and food. I do want to try and teach the attitude to think of others, and to be compassionate, and Christmas can help to teach that, so I don't want to boycott the holiday or anything that drastic. I do have to put a disclaimer that I have difficulty enjoying Christmas for other reasons. Growing up, my dad would make a huge deal about holidays. He would want them to be perfect in his eyes and, surprise!, that didn't always happen. Later, when us kids were teenagers, he'd have someone to blame it on and things would get ugly. He'd get verbally abusive and on two occasions physically. I get anxiety pretty bad once it starts to get towards Christmas, and when we start to get a lot of pressure that we need to do this, and have to buy that, and participate here, I tend to freak out and shut down mentally. It's not that I don't have good memories of Christmas, just when it starts to feel like there's a lot of pressure, good memories aren't what come to mind. It's important to me that my kids have good memories about holidays, so I try and make them special. Low-key, but special. Yikes! Sorry about the novel! Don't blame anyone if that's too long to read!
@mamabearcj Thank you! That's means a lot. We are definitely all about respect and allowing others their beliefs/traditions etc without impeding on that. @DunkinDecaf Thanks for that. That's exactly how we feel. I adore most everything about the entire Christmas season (well minus the insane obsession with material things), the decorations, the memories, putting up a tree as family, traditions. It will definitely be a super special time, just not quite as traditional as some. DH and I are the oldest, and both remember being devestated when we learned Santa wasn't real (both of us were pretty young), but had to keep pretending for siblings. It's like it lost something until we got older and fell in love with all the other things about the season.
I love that as a group, this isn't even a uo or anything. So much calmer than some other bmbs. Lol
@DunkinDecaf - I don’t think what you said is in disagreement with what I said. But then, you also aren’t trying to insist to your kids Santa is real - which is when you run into problems with parents being pissy that some kid might ruin Christmas for the other kids.
@knottieamusements you’re right I totally left out the sentence explaining what I was disagreeing with. I don’t agree that kids keep pretending for toys. That’s what I get for bumping when I’m mostly asleep, my bad. In my experience once kids know Santa isn’t real they’re very candid about it with their parents in a “I know! I’m big.” way. Anyway we’re def continuing the Santa thing well after that so it shouldn’t affect the way we celebrate.
We celebrate Christmas and Easter. We do Santa, but I’m not into the “Easter Bunny”. DS did get and Easter basket, but it was a basket with some small items, not Christmas in April. We are religious so we celebrate the religious aspects as well. Christmas is about the birth of Christ and Easter is about the Resurrection.
I love Santa, but I think the Easter bunny is creepy AF. I actually never knew it was a thing to get pictures with the Easter Bunny until I was an adult. I never thought the Easter bunny was real as a child.
Raised Episcopalian, right now, not exactly sure how I lean, but DH is atheist? (gosh is it bad if I don't know exactly how he would describe himself?? I don't think he really likes the labels, so idk.), so that was a pretty fun conversation with the priest when we did marriage counseling! (It all turned out fine, thankfully. Everyone was an adult and accepted each other's views. That's all you can ask for!) We don't go to church, but we still celebrate Christmas and Easter, because we appreciate the traditions and the family time together. Not sure how we will raise our kids yet, but definitely will teach them to be open minded, and I won't have a problem if my parents, etc. want to take them to church. I think it's important to understand different religions and practice/teach tolerance of other beliefs, even if you don't like them.
re: santa and presents: My mom has told me that basically, once I admit Santa isn't real, the presents stop. This was told to me in high school, long after I knew he wasn't real, but it's just my mom's way of keeping the magic alive. Besides, Santa can totally be really if he brings me wine every Christmas. Same with the Easter Bunny.
Having young siblings (8 and 10) I still really get into Santa for them. Also for SS. The years we don't have SS for Christmas Morning, to sleep at my parents house to do Christmas with my siblings. Not sure this year since we won't have SS, but it will be G's first Christmas. I wish we would have SS, but it'll probably be more meaningful next year when G can actually understand a bit.
My biggest issue with Easter and sometimes Christmas, is how all out parents go. No, your child does not need a ton of gifts for Easter. It's not a second Christmas. And sometimes I feel parents out do Christmas. SS gets a small basket at Easter. This year it was a book, a keychain with his name, a Dino flower pot and some candy. Santa brings 1 gift, usually the big ticket item (because Santa doesn't wrap gifts at our house and it's easier to not wrap the big one!). We give the rest of them, and even then its not a ton. My child doesn't need a million more things! This year his main gift from us was an overnight at the water park hotel.
@knottieamusements oh yeah DH's parents still go all out for Easter with baskets for the grandkids.. a basket with candy, a book, some toys, a little outfit or boots. And this grandchild is only two!! All we got as kids was a chocolate bunny and maybe one small thing for Easter. I agree with @sammierose464 Santa should only bring one maybe two gifts and the rest should be from family. And theirs no need to go crazy, I know Christmas is about giving and all but please don't give my kid and overflow of toys they'll play with for a week..
Looking back I appreciate my Christmas memories more the years we did something for someone else instead of getting gifts. We still got something smaller but our gift money went to buying gifts to donate or something similar. I don’t want this kiddo getting so much stuff he’s not thankful for what he gets. At her birthday party I saw DHs niece make a face and heard her say “is that all???” She’s 11. That’s just gross.
Re: gifts for Easter. Big eye roll there. My kids get eggs filled with candy and maybe bubbles or play doh. Something very small to play with that day.
When i I see people giving major gifts for Easter I am so confused... on Christmas we try and do a gift from Santa, a gift from parents, and a gift from each sibling. The big gift is from us (outdone every year by my spoiling parents). whatever is from Santa is always something simple. I don’t want my kids to think Santa brings them video game consoles when some other kids get a box of crayons. I want them to see the magic in Santa as what is special- not the value of the gift. The poorer kids are not less special if they don’t get huge gifts from Santa- you know??
Yes @jynjer91 exactly! I'd love to do something for someone else and donate or something. In-laws throw a fit if we don't do gifts. Even adults, and usually the price range is high. That always gets my goat, too cuz there's been some years when money was really tight, as in, not always having money for groceries (not us), kind of tight. You'd think that would be a good year to something else, a fun activity that we don't get to do every day, or something, but it's a gift exchange or else! I think we just forget that you don't have to have gifts to make memories. Our kids can make good memories and have fun without spending a boatload of money.
@MissBridg I actually read an article about that somewhere. Some parents can't afford to give big gifts and when their kids are with their friends and their friends get really expensive gifts from 'Santa' , they ask why Santa doesn't get them stuff like that. If Santa likes some others more than them, etc. I'd have never thought of it that way. Not that we do Santa... Just interesting thought.
Re: UO 5/17
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
TTC since 2016
Due: October 12, 2018
Location: Ontario, Canada
For me, Santa is a colloquial figure, and the Easter Bunny is a Pagan figure claimed by Christians.
I’m Pagan, but in the same way many people are Christian. It outlines my beliefs about the potential ever after, and answers the vague questions about how the life spark works. But, generally I am not practicing.
I don’t plan to raise my child as a Pagan, instead I plan to raise them as atheist, or maybe agnostic. For me, the fun parts of the holidays have always been colloquial, and not religious. So I don’t know if there is a reason to not celebrate for the fun of having a party.
My husbands family celebrates it and I’m like a 5 yr old (which is about how long I’ve been able to celebrate with them) I’m so excited by it now.
We will absolutely not pretend re: Santa and all the other similar figures, but I might at least get a tree for kid.
Ds LOVES Santa, because he has watched all the Santa clause movies with his cousins. But he knows it as a TV show/guy that visits Memaw''s store to take pictures with him and his cousins when it's cold. He doesn't even realize it's related to Christmas, and that's the way we wanted it. He gets some gifts, but that's all.
Easter, he does an easter egg hunt (because my grandparents put it on for all the great grandkids) a dinner with family, and we get him a small bucket of spring/summer toys to celebrate the coming warm months and all the new life and beginnings that come with it. No mention of the bunny or pictures with it.
Halloween/ is a favorite of ours. We honor those in our families that passed, decorate, dress up and take the kiddos trick or treating.
Thanksgiving is our thankful for family dinner. 4th of July is a big picnic and fire works with his family we don't normal get to see. Memorial day (the Sunday before) is his dad's family reunion. New years we celebrate with a family picked meal and sparkling cider to start our new year as a family.
I think that's all we we celebrate... (well solstices) I could be wrong. I've already heard crap about how my kid is going to be "that kid" that ruins holidays/tooth fairy for other kids. We plan on talking about how other people believe these things, but if it happens it happens. *shrug*
We will most definitely celebrate ALL of those holidays with Santa and Easter Bunny and all. H wants to keep the Tooth Fairy and I am indifferent on that one, so we will do that, too.
We are Christian (H was raised Catholic, I’m Episcopal) and I love the holidays for all of their gimmicky fun as well as the religious aspects. A lot of the Holy Week services still make me super teary, and I have nothing but the best holiday memories growing up. My uncle and the local fire department guy used to play the BEST Santa and come by our house. My mom told me years later that it was the fire department, and the parents would leave a bottle of booze outside of each house as a thank you. That made the memory even better. Man, I loved growing up in that town.
I cannot wait to give our baby girl her own special holiday memories, it’s one of the things for which I am most excited. I hope my brother can play Santa!
Heck I still get a gift from Santa every year from my parents and the in laws, And I've been aware he's not real for a very long time lol
I gotta say that when this debate comes around, my biggest pet peeve is when people imply that because we don't do Santa, my kids won't have a "magical" childhood. To which I always want to say, "I'm a practicing witch. You want to talk to me about magic?" I never do but I'd love to see the response if I did
Dandelion - October 2018
Angel "Aurora" - July 2020
Angel "Sawyer" - May 2021
Angel "Maxine" - January 2022
Angel "Violet" - March 2022
Baby Dove due March 2023
Thanks for adding a bit to your earlier comments. I think several of us have similar approaches if slightly different ways to describe it.
@jomama1618 kids who don’t believe in Santa don’t ruin it for other kids. Some parents have always been honest with their kids from the start that Santa isn’t real, and it’s still a fun thing.
One thing that isn't so popular, especially with my in laws, I don't love the holidays, especially Christmas. I really dislike how it's been so commercialized and turned into a gift-grabby, give me stuff kind of celebration. I don't mean everyone is that way, or feels that way. It's just really mind-blowing how much money we shell out for gifts and food. I do want to try and teach the attitude to think of others, and to be compassionate, and Christmas can help to teach that, so I don't want to boycott the holiday or anything that drastic.
I do have to put a disclaimer that I have difficulty enjoying Christmas for other reasons. Growing up, my dad would make a huge deal about holidays. He would want them to be perfect in his eyes and, surprise!, that didn't always happen. Later, when us kids were teenagers, he'd have someone to blame it on and things would get ugly. He'd get verbally abusive and on two occasions physically. I get anxiety pretty bad once it starts to get towards Christmas, and when we start to get a lot of pressure that we need to do this, and have to buy that, and participate here, I tend to freak out and shut down mentally. It's not that I don't have good memories of Christmas, just when it starts to feel like there's a lot of pressure, good memories aren't what come to mind.
It's important to me that my kids have good memories about holidays, so I try and make them special. Low-key, but special.
Yikes! Sorry about the novel! Don't blame anyone if that's too long to read!
DD 3/15/12
DD 6/3/14
#4 Due 10/26/18!
+ I LOVE cake and will eat all the cakes. And pies.
+I HATE cooking
+ we will do Santa’s and bunny’s and fairies solely for the sake of building/maintaining family traditions and memories
@DunkinDecaf Thanks for that. That's exactly how we feel. I adore most everything about the entire Christmas season (well minus the insane obsession with material things), the decorations, the memories, putting up a tree as family, traditions. It will definitely be a super special time, just not quite as traditional as some. DH and I are the oldest, and both remember being devestated when we learned Santa wasn't real (both of us were pretty young), but had to keep pretending for siblings. It's like it lost something until we got older and fell in love with all the other things about the season.
I love that as a group, this isn't even a uo or anything. So much calmer than some other bmbs. Lol
I love Santa, but I think the Easter bunny is creepy AF. I actually never knew it was a thing to get pictures with the Easter Bunny until I was an adult. I never thought the Easter bunny was real as a child.
My biggest issue with Easter and sometimes Christmas, is how all out parents go. No, your child does not need a ton of gifts for Easter. It's not a second Christmas. And sometimes I feel parents out do Christmas. SS gets a small basket at Easter. This year it was a book, a keychain with his name, a Dino flower pot and some candy. Santa brings 1 gift, usually the big ticket item (because Santa doesn't wrap gifts at our house and it's easier to not wrap the big one!). We give the rest of them, and even then its not a ton. My child doesn't need a million more things! This year his main gift from us was an overnight at the water park hotel.
I feel jipped. My Easter Bunny only brought a basket with chocolate, a stuffed rabbit, and some new pencils- maybe a cheap yo-yo if we were lucky!
(I still have my favoritist rabbit of the all.)
All we got as kids was a chocolate bunny and maybe one small thing for Easter.
I agree with @sammierose464 Santa should only bring one maybe two gifts and the rest should be from family. And theirs no need to go crazy, I know Christmas is about giving and all but please don't give my kid and overflow of toys they'll play with for a week..
I don’t want this kiddo getting so much stuff he’s not thankful for what he gets. At her birthday party I saw DHs niece make a face and heard her say “is that all???” She’s 11. That’s just gross.
When i I see people giving major gifts for Easter I am so confused... on Christmas we try and do a gift from Santa, a gift from parents, and a gift from each sibling. The big gift is from us (outdone every year by my spoiling parents). whatever is from Santa is always something simple. I don’t want my kids to think Santa brings them video game consoles when some other kids get a box of crayons. I want them to see the magic in Santa as what is special- not the value of the gift. The poorer kids are not less special if they don’t get huge gifts from Santa- you know??
I'd love to do something for someone else and donate or something. In-laws throw a fit if we don't do gifts. Even adults, and usually the price range is high.
That always gets my goat, too cuz there's been some years when money was really tight, as in, not always having money for groceries (not us), kind of tight. You'd think that would be a good year to something else, a fun activity that we don't get to do every day, or something, but it's a gift exchange or else!
I think we just forget that you don't have to have gifts to make memories. Our kids can make good memories and have fun without spending a boatload of money.
DD 3/15/12
DD 6/3/14
#4 Due 10/26/18!
Not that we do Santa... Just interesting thought.
DD 3/15/12
DD 6/3/14
#4 Due 10/26/18!