I don't think I've ever really gotten into the holidays much as an adult.
Its not that I don't want to spend time with the family and stuff.
Its all the gifting and crap that goes along with it.
I just think it is way to "what big thing did I get", and spending way too much money.
No matter how much you get it always seems like its never enough or as good as what someone else got their child.
Its not that I don't want to spend time with the family and stuff.
Its all the gifting and crap that goes along with it.
I just think it is way to "what big thing did I get", and spending way too much money.
No matter how much you get it always seems like its never enough or as good as what someone else got their child.
I am more of a simple person I think. I grew up in a large family and you got a couple things and life was good. I don't remember Christmas days too much as a child, but I also don't remember being disappointed either. When we became a certain age and were out of the house, then you graduated onto getting the homemade candy and cakes my mom would make only at the holidays. Each adult child got a slab of toffee candy, a coffee cake and a caramel candy roll. Life was good. If you were a grandchild, you got a handmade Christmas ornament made by grandma and some dollar amount. With a family the size of mine, the holiday wasn't so much about the gifts, but the time spent with people that aren't going to be around forever.
Well since my mom passed away, I have been attempting to make the homemade toffee (never to be as good as hers!) for my family.
So instead of spending time at the stores, I like the simple, hand made stuff.
What happened to the holidays meaning spending time with family and recognizing what the holiday meant? Now a days, its more about how much farther in debt you can get. I hope to pass along what my mom did to my children.
Well since my mom passed away, I have been attempting to make the homemade toffee (never to be as good as hers!) for my family.
So instead of spending time at the stores, I like the simple, hand made stuff.
Here are a couple of the cool things I just love and wish other people would get into also, and realizing so much more went into it then running to a store and grabbing something off the shelf! My house is filled with little knick-knack things that were made by someone or put together with thought.
For the jewelery wearing girl in the house
(excuse the dry scaly hand!)
(excuse the dry scaly hand!)
for the little guy whose afraid of monsters - the night light that keeps them away
For the winter season - Mr. Snowman
For that baby that just joined the family
For the big girl who still likes to be a little girl and wear fun hair clips!
Do you have anything special that your family does? A tradition that you hope continues to get carried on that doesn't buy into the commercialization of the holiday?
3 comments:
i don't really buy into the commericalism of the holidays either. that has been more apparent since everything with Kylie. i feel like so many of us have more than we need already, and need to celebrate that, and not all the stuff.
we never had any traditions growing up in my family, but i have a few that i want to start with our little one:
-new christmas pjs that she gets to open on christmas eve and wake up in on christmas morning
-me baking homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast on christmas morning
-baking cookies together to give as gifts (i have done this in the past, and can't wait to share it with my princess)
-we got a book her first christmas "the night before christmas" and i would like us to read it together before bed on christmas eve.
-maybe make ornaments and other handmade gifts together...i made some this year, and will post pics after we have handed and shipped them all out.
i think that is it :)
WTG, Melanie. We read some of the same books over every year -- Bible passages (Luke), The Best Christmas Pageant Ever -- the kids howl at different things every year and the grownup(s) always sniff a little at the end, and one other, the name isn't coming to me, but the pictures are gorgeous. Oh! One Wintry Night. We're not doing Advent calendars this year, so everyone gets a square of Dove dark chocolate when it's time to read.
The kids always put out cheese (Santa's sick of cookies by the time he gets to our house) and carrots (reindeer), even the big ones who roll their eyes when the littler ones aren't looking.
This year, I'm sewing things. I won't say what, because other people might be reading here ;o) but I'm having a lot of fun.
Certain family members are also getting GC's because of unemployment or injuries that have made things really tight for them.
Last year I made calendars from ones I picked up in Target ($1) and glued Costco printed pics into -- cheap, and the biggest hit of all with their grandparents and dad. I may do the same thing again when the older kids are gone to visit him -- make calendars for the extended families.
I love your projects -- so cute and pretty and makes me wish I had a few more hours in the day. :o)
PS -- if you do think about relocating, you'd like it here. (nudge) We could be neighbors, the boys would love each other, my big kids think Daniel is the cutest thing since, well, Q. And I bet we could have some fun at the craft stores. ;o)
Post a Comment