Christmas Shopping

Frightening – Has This Year’s Christmas Shopping Started?

Shopping for Christmas – scary! I would like to first pay homage to Halloween, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. Celebrating those becomes difficult if you have no idea what you will get everybody for Christmas.

My Family – My Life Model

I’m pretty sure that Dad shopped on Christmas Eve. But he loved Christmas and his birthday came the next day. Celebrating his birthday on Christmas was not an option. He had a separate party the next day.

Everybody had to participate in Dad’s Christmas celebration. The post office people got something. The elderly people got something. Our mother got something.

My family created a magical Christmas for us. It included church activities, as well as gift-giving, family traditions, and visiting families and friends. They never talked about shopping, but it helped create this magical time. And thus my image of Christmas grew. Surely little elves at the North Pole were busy working hard while my own family laid back.

I remember Dad cutting down a Christmas tree, probably a cedar tree, for us. Eventually, a store-bought silver tree replaced the real one. Then came a store-bought green tree.

Mother made Christmas cookies and we decorated them. The recipe has become special to all of us. She called them Santa Claus Cookies. The memories of them still bring back the magic of Christmas for us. My grandma on Dad’s side made the best boiled custard. And if it snowed, Mom had boiled custard ready for snow cream.

We could see, smell, feel, taste, and hear Christmas everywhere. There is more about my Christmases on What I Want My Grandchildren to Know.

My “Mom” Memories Were Not of Shopping

My mom and dad had Christmas dinner at their house every year. We wrapped and mailed Andy’s parent’s presents and his dad’s birthday present early. We usually opened Andy’s parent’s presents on Christmas Eve. Andy and I loved making Christmas breakfast for everyone on Christmas morning. Mom, Dad, and our kids were always there. All of these activities made Christmas special for us.

I really don’t remember my Christmas shopping experiences for our children. That part of Christmas never excited me. But the giving was always magic.

I still remember Andy talking about putting their Christmas tree up the day before Christmas. I never could wait that long. There were too many other things to be done on Christmas Eve, in my eyes. But putting up the Christmas tree was one of his favorite memories.

Grandparent Duties

Oh, becoming grandparents snuck up on us like a Halloween ghost. Parents now – now grandparents. What to do? Get ready for Christmas as soon as possible. I tried shopping or creating items. I lost items I intended to give as Christmas presents or just didn’t like the items anymore. Everyone has heard of overthinking. Certainly, I do a lot.

I know that creating a magical Christmas takes work – a lot more work than I realized was going on when I was young. Hopefully, I can keep up and help out as I continue to get older.

We hope our children had memorable Christmases. And I hope our grandchildren will, too.

 

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