We heard that too and so we have Santa bring small gifts and any big gift comes from Mom and Dad. That being said we keep gift giving pretty tight. My family was on public assistance growing up so I try to keep gifts meaningful and not ostentatious.
We are not religious but I do love me some Christmas. It’s nice family time. We did an easter basket for dd too and took her to an egg hunt. We consider it pretty secular.
I've been getting more into giving experiences. I took my siblings to the Henry Ford Museum this past year to see the Disney Pixar exhibit. SS went too and they loved it.
mamabearcj said: 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..
My Mom occasionally travels with me for work conferences (fun places, nice hotels; just pay airfare). When I went on the one last week, we were also traveling with one of my coworkers. My coworker did me the huge favor of telling my Mom that kids don’t need more toys and stuff at holidays- just put the $ in a 529 account for college.
I come from a “don’t ask for cash; it’s rude” kind of family, and so I am grateful that coworker had that conversation with my Mom. Now I don’t have to.
@knottieamusements That's an awesome idea!!! My mom mentioned wanting to start a savings for baby bear and I might mention it to the in laws as well and say instead of multiple or big gifts that a fund would be astronomically more beneficial for when they grow up. Toys last a couple months or years but that college money will set them up for a life long career
My mom is the type of person who thinks she's a bad mom unless her kids have big Christmases with lots of presents under the tree. The problem with that was we were dirt poor. Food stamps poor. Couldn't buy a new tube of tooth paste if ours ran out poor. We could not afford presents at all, let alone 15 per kid. But every single year my mom decided not to pay bills for November or December so she could buy us presents. And she would cry over the stress of not paying the bills all the time, *in front of us*, once November came. It literally made us sick and we never even enjoyed Christmas because of it.
I promised myself I would not end up like her. The only thing I care about on Christmas is making sure I do the Christmas Eve Surprise box with DD because I've been doing it since the year she was born. Other than that, I literally do not care if she gets another gift or not. DF and I have talked about it, and going forward he thinks our kids should get the surprise box and one big gift of whatever they really want. And whatever family decides to get them, of course. I also have always preferred to do experiences instead of gifts. Example, one year for Christmas I took DD to get a library card in her name.
But I told him that it's important to me that we make it a tradition to sponsor another family for Christmas instead of buying our kids a ton of stuff. Our kids have toys and gifts already, they have shelter and food and financial security, they have family and memories and vacations and events. Other families aren't as lucky. Our gifts would make someone else's entire Christmas, while our kids' would be just fine without them.
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
mamabearcj said: 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..
My Mom occasionally travels with me for work conferences (fun places, nice hotels; just pay airfare). When I went on the one last week, we were also traveling with one of my coworkers. My coworker did me the huge favor of telling my Mom that kids don’t need more toys and stuff at holidays- just put the $ in a 529 account for college.
I come from a “don’t ask for cash; it’s rude” kind of family, and so I am grateful that coworker had that conversation with my Mom. Now I don’t have to.
When savings bonds were still a thing, I'd get one for every gift giving holiday. I was so thankful for those when I got older. They helped pay for me to go to Australia at 15 and for my first car.
Might be a UO, might not lol I know some did watch the royal wedding, I just checked some recaps but I really didn't like Megan's dress... It didn't have a nice fit to it and being as simple as it was it could've been shaped a lot nicer.. also why invite so many damn celebrities and exes?! Tacky..
The fit was off and also I thought the fabric was weirdly thick. If it’d been a thinner fabric it would’ve suited her better. Agreed on the veil though. That was gorgeous.
@DunkinDecaf ya know I couldn't put my finger on what I didn't like about her dress, but that's it, it was too thick! I agree, a thinner fabric would have been much better.
@mamabearcj I hate cheesecake. I feel so Unamerican when I pass on it and everyone gives me a look like I’m an alien hahaha
re: men on female bodies. I know so many guys who are clueless and it’s insane. But in opposite fashion, my husband blew my mind when I mentioned something before pregnancy about my body and he chimes in with something like, “well that’s because your uterus acts as this and your fallopian tubes do that...” and I was just like “holy shit how do you know that?” And he gave me a bewildered look and said “I took biology.” Hahaha
re: Christmas. My husband and I are Christian and go to church but I really don’t want Christmas to be about getting a million presents. I definitely will get them some but they don’t need a mountain. However, I know my mom and regardless of what I say, she will go ALL OUT for baby. Which I hate because 1.) she is on a fixed income and 2.) I would like to instill a sense of giving in my kids at Christmas rather than an expectation of a ton of presents.
Me: 33 DH: 31 Location: Castle Rock, CO DD: 10.13.18 baby #2 due: 7.14.20
Re: UO 5/17
We are not religious but I do love me some Christmas. It’s nice family time. We did an easter basket for dd too and took her to an egg hunt. We consider it pretty secular.
I come from a “don’t ask for cash; it’s rude” kind of family, and so I am grateful that coworker had that conversation with my Mom. Now I don’t have to.
I promised myself I would not end up like her. The only thing I care about on Christmas is making sure I do the Christmas Eve Surprise box with DD because I've been doing it since the year she was born. Other than that, I literally do not care if she gets another gift or not. DF and I have talked about it, and going forward he thinks our kids should get the surprise box and one big gift of whatever they really want. And whatever family decides to get them, of course. I also have always preferred to do experiences instead of gifts. Example, one year for Christmas I took DD to get a library card in her name.
But I told him that it's important to me that we make it a tradition to sponsor another family for Christmas instead of buying our kids a ton of stuff. Our kids have toys and gifts already, they have shelter and food and financial security, they have family and memories and vacations and events. Other families aren't as lucky. Our gifts would make someone else's entire Christmas, while our kids' would be just fine without them.
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 loved her veil and tiara though!
@mamabearcj I hate cheesecake. I feel so Unamerican when I pass on it and everyone gives me a look like I’m an alien hahaha
re: men on female bodies. I know so many guys who are clueless and it’s insane. But in opposite fashion, my husband blew my mind when I mentioned something before pregnancy about my body and he chimes in with something like, “well that’s because your uterus acts as this and your fallopian tubes do that...” and I was just like “holy shit how do you know that?” And he gave me a bewildered look and said “I took biology.” Hahaha
re: Christmas. My husband and I are Christian and go to church but I really don’t want Christmas to be about getting a million presents. I definitely will get them some but they don’t need a mountain. However, I know my mom and regardless of what I say, she will go ALL OUT for baby. Which I hate because 1.) she is on a fixed income and 2.) I would like to instill a sense of giving in my kids at Christmas rather than an expectation of a ton of presents.
Me: 33 DH: 31
Location: Castle Rock, CO
DD: 10.13.18
baby #2 due: 7.14.20