Christmas

Christmas this year was both wonderful and frustrating.

Let's start with the good:

• brunch at our house with part of our family
• long visit with said family
• the kids were excited about the three presents they recieved from Santa (yes, only three, which was actually one too many)
• my mom kept her promise to scale down
• the gifts they got were meaningful and appropriate
• great visit with other part of our family
• cards from many people
• acknowledging and truly accepting that my kids do not need/want toys. they want experiences and time to be with us and each other. I know it sounds cliche, but it's true.

Now the bad:

• too much stuff
• people who don't take my wishes seriously because they are so caught up in making themselves happy. Somehow, my beliefs mean nothing because they are not the same as theirs. People who acknowledge that they are acting against my wishes, and expect me to not be upset or frustrated.
• too many conversations about stuff

Actually, I was able to make lemonade out of this whole thing. I went through the kids' closets and cleared out most of their current wardrobe to make room for the new stuff that they did not need. But, I am freecycling/giving all the duplicates away, so someone will benefit.