Repost: Taking the magic out of Christmas ... and bringing it back. Parts 12 & 13.

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"To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good 
will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born 
in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its 
gleam of hope to the world."

~ Calvin Coolidge

Parts 12 & 13 are dedicated to Giving and Receiving. They go hand in hand and when executed properly, they fill you with all the warm and fuzzy feelings of the holiday season!   It is my personal preference to be the one giving gifts, rather than receiving during the holidays.  If you are asking why the answer is simple, I enjoy seeing people smile and the anticipation of opening the gifts is wonderful as well.  

The gift-giving part of Christmas, to me, is all about the kids though.  I don't buy many gifts for adults, I would much rather spend the money on the kids just to see their HUGE smiles when they see all that Santa has left for them.  There is really nothing more exciting than to see a child on Christmas morning.  

In 2012, my youngest only really asked for one thing ... the Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle.  I felt bad when she didn't get it at our house on Christmas morning, but when she opened it at my mom's house, she was ecstatic!!!! I really could not wait to see the look on her face when she got it! My oldest pretty much knew everything she was getting that year, which kinda took the fun out of it, but I had a few surprises up my sleeve that she didn't know about :)   Now, in 2020, both of my children know that Santa is just a figure, and only real in spirit, which totally takes the fun out of everything, but, it also makes things so much easier.  No more trying to hide everything, sneaking everything in the house, wrapping presents while in hiding, but more than all of that, this means that they both officially understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas.  

Receiving presents is always nice, but I think that a lot of people expect to receive just because they are giving.  In my family, we have this thing where we see who can make who cry with a card or gift and that person gets to hold the bragging rights till the next gift-giving time.  It's all in good fun and makes finding that perfect card or gift a bit of a challenge.  But the only thing I ask for is to have the family together.  I don't need anything physical to open or anything like that, just a happy gathering of people to make memories with, that we will have to hold in our hearts forever. 

Caitlin in 2009 opening her Wii
Laurana's 1st Christmas - 2009
Do you have any fun giving or receiving traditions? 


Peace, Love, and Light, 

Christine

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