December 22nd, 2016
Things are much calmer now. My mother-in-law has arrived and I no longer spend so much time cleaning and preparing the house. Now, I just hang out, make tea, cook and chat. I can do that.
Yesterday, we went to the school to hear our eldest daughter sing in the Christmas concert. She handed out gifts to her teachers with a huge smile on her face. It warmed my heart to watch her light up. She has awesome teachers, she loves them so much and it felt good to acknowledge how important they are to her. Later, we all went to the Merry Memories evening at the school where they do crafts and games in every room. It was nice to see the teachers interacting with the students. They have the best staff at that school, really devoted people.
I felt pretty organized this year. The house was getting de-cluttered and cleaned and I purchased or ordered the gifts well in advance. We each get two gifts but then I buy an extra gift from each of our daughters for my husband, my mother and my mother-in-law. As for our daughters, there is always the gift from Santa. They open that one first. I thoroughly enjoy the whole Santa ritual; a plate of cookies, some milk, oats for the deer etc. Then in the morning, their faces light up as they see presents under the tree. Santa's gift is always wrapped in brown paper. Magic!
I thought for sure our eldest would stop believing by now but she is still excited about Saint-Nick. A few years ago, my husband tucked a piece of red felt in the door. It was a torn bit from our tree skirt. He told our eldest that Santa must have torn his coat. Our daughter's eyes were wide open and she held her breath. She kept that piece of felt in her hands for days. It ended up on her "no touching shelf".
This year, our daughters' requests for Santa were quite specific and they only wrote one thing on their list. I ordered them on amazon on Dec. 3rd. They were due on December 12th. I picked up the one parcel on December 15th. The other one was nowhere in sight. I checked its status on Amazon and noticed that the delivery date was now estimated as December 26th. I panicked. I contacted Amazon then the seller. The seller's response was not impressive: "Deal with Amazon cause we didn't process that order". Amazon didn't even respond to my comment.
Now I am in a tough situation. My girls believe a magical Santa has received their request and will deliver their gifts on time. I only have one gift and it's too late to order the doll from elsewhere. I can't have Santa only deliver one parcel. What do I tell my girls if I give neither of them their gift from Santa? How do I explain this?
I am so disappointed and frustrated. I ordered early, I paid extra to get the item shipped and delivered on time and, apparently someone who orders it on December 21st could receive it by December 23rd. I visited my Amazon account page to take a photo of the item and e-mail it to my husband. He was heading over to Ogdensburg, NY in the US. I thought they might have this doll there. I was shocked to see them advertising that it wasn't too late to get the doll in time for Christmas. Apparently, you would order it on December 21st and receive it by December 23rd.
So, I would not be surprised if this was the last year that both our daughters believe in Santa. Thank you Amazon for creating all this stress and doing nothing about it. You have messed up our last year of magic. If any of you have suggestions on how to keep them believing despite the lack of gifts, I would love to hear them.
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 December 2016
Friday, 9 December 2016
Christmas Spirit
December 9th, 2016
Christmas is fast approaching, there are clues everywhere from the music blasted over the shopping mall speakers, the parcels piled up a the post office, the grumpy, rushed people pushing through the crowds, two-fisting their bags of gifts (which they can't afford) and the decorations on the homes and store fronts.
Before I had children, I hated the commercial garbage that came with this holiday. Seeing the Christmas decorations next to the Halloween costumes in October or being bombarded with gift ideas at each commercial break in early November, it all seemed in such poor taste.
I always had a good time at Christmas. When I was younger, my mother and I would head over to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Eve where we would celebrate my uncle's birthday until midnight. Then, we would dole out Christmas gifts after midnight. We would eat and have dessert all over again in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Then we would sleep until it was time to go to my grandparents' home for Christmas. We would see all the cousins and their growing families. I didn't see many of them the rest of the year but we would catch up at my grandparents' home. My mother and I never had much money and my aunt, uncle and cousins would always buy us gifts even though they knew we couldn't buy them anything. It felt so good the first year I was able to surprise everyone with a gift. I was working full-time and able to splurge. It was the best!
When I married and had children of my own, we started new traditions. We stay in our pyjamas and lounge around the house, all cozy. The girls play with their new toys, my mother, husband and I linger over coffee and read from our new books. It is mellower but oh so cozy. I still call my aunt and uncle, they live in Aylmer and I in Kemptville so we generally don't see each other but it wouldn't be Christmas without talking to them. My cousins are at their house so I talk to them too.
We decorated the tree as a family last weekend. I enjoyed it, the girls are still young enough to be excited about Santa and the pretty tree. Each year I wonder if this is our last "magical" Christmas. It's not the same when they stop believing. I know the holidays are not about gifts and spending money but, I always get into the spirit when I start shopping. I am just so excited when I find the perfect gift, something my loved ones will love but would never buy for themselves.
Today was the best. I have already bought a gift for each of my daughters. Santa's gifts are on the way. My mother wasn't able to find anything in her many excursions out to the stores. She gets confused by the names of various dolls from multiple kids' shows. I told her I would get something on her behalf today. I drove out into the sunlight , my favourite music blaring and, found some perfect gifts. The girls will love them and my mom will be happy to have caused so much joy. Then, I visited a store and purchased some awesome gifts for my husband. I just know his face will light up when he sees them (no pressure or anything).
I am not a materialistic person and we only buy the girls a few gifts each. I think it's my inner child that is making up for lost time. Growing up, I would have these awesome ideas what to buy for people. I paid attention to what they liked and knew that my gift ideas would make them so happy. I just couldn't buy those things; for my mom, for aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and boyfriends. It feels so good to be able to buy something special for my loved ones now. It truly puts me in the Christmas spirit, not the commercial aspect of it but the spirit of giving, of thinking of others and creating special moments.
We have the cozy home, the fireplaces, the food, the people we love and the fun traditions. The gifts are just the cherry on top. Merry Christmas everyone!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
Christmas is fast approaching, there are clues everywhere from the music blasted over the shopping mall speakers, the parcels piled up a the post office, the grumpy, rushed people pushing through the crowds, two-fisting their bags of gifts (which they can't afford) and the decorations on the homes and store fronts.
Before I had children, I hated the commercial garbage that came with this holiday. Seeing the Christmas decorations next to the Halloween costumes in October or being bombarded with gift ideas at each commercial break in early November, it all seemed in such poor taste.
I always had a good time at Christmas. When I was younger, my mother and I would head over to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Eve where we would celebrate my uncle's birthday until midnight. Then, we would dole out Christmas gifts after midnight. We would eat and have dessert all over again in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Then we would sleep until it was time to go to my grandparents' home for Christmas. We would see all the cousins and their growing families. I didn't see many of them the rest of the year but we would catch up at my grandparents' home. My mother and I never had much money and my aunt, uncle and cousins would always buy us gifts even though they knew we couldn't buy them anything. It felt so good the first year I was able to surprise everyone with a gift. I was working full-time and able to splurge. It was the best!
When I married and had children of my own, we started new traditions. We stay in our pyjamas and lounge around the house, all cozy. The girls play with their new toys, my mother, husband and I linger over coffee and read from our new books. It is mellower but oh so cozy. I still call my aunt and uncle, they live in Aylmer and I in Kemptville so we generally don't see each other but it wouldn't be Christmas without talking to them. My cousins are at their house so I talk to them too.
We decorated the tree as a family last weekend. I enjoyed it, the girls are still young enough to be excited about Santa and the pretty tree. Each year I wonder if this is our last "magical" Christmas. It's not the same when they stop believing. I know the holidays are not about gifts and spending money but, I always get into the spirit when I start shopping. I am just so excited when I find the perfect gift, something my loved ones will love but would never buy for themselves.
Today was the best. I have already bought a gift for each of my daughters. Santa's gifts are on the way. My mother wasn't able to find anything in her many excursions out to the stores. She gets confused by the names of various dolls from multiple kids' shows. I told her I would get something on her behalf today. I drove out into the sunlight , my favourite music blaring and, found some perfect gifts. The girls will love them and my mom will be happy to have caused so much joy. Then, I visited a store and purchased some awesome gifts for my husband. I just know his face will light up when he sees them (no pressure or anything).
I am not a materialistic person and we only buy the girls a few gifts each. I think it's my inner child that is making up for lost time. Growing up, I would have these awesome ideas what to buy for people. I paid attention to what they liked and knew that my gift ideas would make them so happy. I just couldn't buy those things; for my mom, for aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and boyfriends. It feels so good to be able to buy something special for my loved ones now. It truly puts me in the Christmas spirit, not the commercial aspect of it but the spirit of giving, of thinking of others and creating special moments.
We have the cozy home, the fireplaces, the food, the people we love and the fun traditions. The gifts are just the cherry on top. Merry Christmas everyone!
Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org
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