I don't have any feelings either way about getting more "stuff", but darn it I desperately WANT that Hoosier cabinet in your siggy pic. It's beautiful!
thanks!! It's still got the shipping receipt in it for 1901 from Montgomery Ward. It's great for baking!!!
this has been a great thread!!
__________________
How Time Flies ~ Luna Blue is Two!
Tree hugging, vegetarian, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering, home schooling, drum playing Step-Mama to my sweet Nico Sage and Mama to my curly Kaya Jade and wee Luna Blue. Lovin my hottie ~ J. Blogging From the Boonies My Etsy Shop
i picked tan up the other day early from school, as a matter of fact...for an "appt"...an "appt at the MALL
ROFLOL!!! Okay i will admit, I do this too sometimes. Ill get my girls early and we'll go get our nails done or go shoe shopping or something fun like that
As far as Christmas....my ILs and parents are getting them big stuff. Harley is getting a game cube and this Chicken Little game that she is obsesing over, Mikayla's getting an iPod, they are getting a new TV/DVD player.
I honestly dont know what dh and I are gonna get them. Mikayla has asked for a few new pairs of Gap jeans in size 8, since her 7's "are a little snug". Also a few Old navy performance fleece pullovers. Im tripping over her name brand specifics. Ill probably get her 2 of each, since she does need more warm clothes. All Harley has asked us for is a pair of pink barbie snow boots that she saw in a toys r us catalog. The company i work for has a deal with TRU and they are opening up for 2 hours just for our employees and giving us 25% off everything on Dec 19th, so i think ill go and find those boots for my girl!
Besides that, I dont know what im getting them. I havent bought a thing yet!
As far as paring down, i know i said this somewhere recently, but we always donate previously loved toys to Goodwill and Domestic Violence shelters. We just did this a few weekends ago and i have a box to take in tommorrow (the company i work for collects for Domestic Violence). We do this often, not just at Christmas time.
If you're looking for local children in need, check the Angel Tree, or local Churches or local organizations that help needy families.
__________________
~ Rachel ~
Blessed to be Mothering 4 amazing, beautiful children!
Mikayla 11, Harley 9, Evie & Jackson my awesome 2 yr old twins!
Well, I usually ask the grandparents for things like museum memberships or similar "experience-based" gifts. Then throughout the year, I make sure we remind them that we are using their gift and really enjoying it.
Charlotte-- there is a wonderful book called "Unplug The Christmas Machine" that your dh might enjoy. It's not anti-chrstmas and it doesn't make people feel bad for enjoying the season. It's to help people figure out what they love the most about Christmas and making that the focus.
It's not that your dh is 'materlialistic' perhaps. Many folks enjoy giving each other gifts, enjoy recieving them etc. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with that at all. Most cultures have some sort of celebration where gifts are enchanged. The thing with Christmas is that 100 yrs ago, merchants changed how we celebrate, seeing it as an opportunity to be in the red at the end of the year.
Prior to advertising and media, Americans celebrated a simple Christmas, which was not even much of a gift-giving holiday. Media is a powerful aid to culture change. (Which is why I shake my head when people think watching commercial TV is completely harmless for small children). Newspapers, and then movies, and TV changed an entire holiday--and not for the better. That tells you something about the power it will have over the Christmas list of a child. Media makes one heavily desire items we didn't even know existed prior to the commercial.
Long-winded here, but I think you would enjoy the book. It's not a book with a religious focus (many non-Christians celebrate the holiday as a cultural and solstice event and the book understands that). Although there is a lot of discussion regarding the religious aspect of Christmas; basically it's for everyone who celebrates, including mixed faith families). Unplug The Christmas Machine is about helping people idenitify those aspects of the season that are most important to them, with suggestions on how to meet those needs, including thoughts on handling extended family. It's a very friendly, thoughtful book.
Our family has followed the practice of cleaning out and giving to charity for years. It really does help to teach the children valuable lessons.
We are cutting back in many ways. For Christmas this year, we are cutting back even more than last year....both in $ and in what they get. I'm cutting what we spend on each child by 1/3 as compared to last year.
Also generally speaking.....I do not feel right about having more than a handful of shirts for work. I realized that even with working outside the home as a teacher I only need a handful of work shirts. No reason why I can't wear the same ones over and over again. I do not need to keep up with the other teachers!! (I need to set an example instead) Also for my everyday/casual (non-professional) clothing....I'm cutting that waaaay back also. I have taken boxes upon boxes to the Christian Storehouse in the past couple weeks and have a half-dozen more ready to go! (and I'm still going through things)
What was so touching was what happened two weeks ago. The week after I had taken a load to the Christian Storehouse, one of my students came to school wearing a new scarf his mama got for him. Guess what? That scarf use to be my daughters....she made it 4 years ago and it still looked like new when we donated it. Look who chose that donation!!! One of my students moms....and that little guy was sooooo proud of the scarf. Talk about a touching moment for me to see. I couldn't wait to tell my daughter about where her scarf went. (and she knows the child from when she has volunteered in my class!!!)
However, it still does not seem to be enough, YK???? We are focusing more on volunteering locally. It has become easy to give away things and money (when we have the money to give *lol*).......and it is easy to become lazy once something becomes easy to do. (Am I making sense?) So we have to take another step and the logical next step to me was volunteering weekly. I'm lined up to start training for a charity in two weeks and I hope to get my older children volunteering there in the summer when they are not in school.
But....it still seems so woefully inadequate when I see the lack.
We have a pretty strict rule here about getting rid of something if we get something. Maybe not so much thise year, since we just purged so much to move into the smaller house.
After the holidays are over, Abel and I will go through his room and make room for the new stuff. We take all the old stuff to a charity, usually the hospital thrift shop.
I alos try to by things that aren't material. Like this year, dh is getting a pass to the national parks, something he'll really use, but won't take up space! And Abel is getting art pens, which will help use up the copious amounts of paper he laready has stashed in his room.
I give homeade things. Jams, crackers, knit things. I only get one thing per person except Abel and David get 2 or 3.
Oh, and I went to this waldorf craft fair yesterday and saw these very cool gift bags that you can make out of old sweater sleeves! So for my mom , g-ma and my sis, I'll buy some nice piece of jewelry (thrift shop) and put it in the neat, re-useable gift bag.
__________________
Laura, mama to Abel, age 9!
~my 2 favorite boys~
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Meeshi, I don't know how big your new house is, but if you have the space, why not ask for something special for your girls that people can contribute to.. like maybe a cedar chest for each? We're asking for contributions toward a playset For Eric and I, we're asking for house stuff.. my mom bought us new pots and pans and a new comforter/sheets (one is housewarming, one is xmas), my Dad is buying us a couple new lamps for housewarming/xmas, etc.
This year I'm not feeling bad about Christmas.. we moved and got rid of a TON (ask xt just how much I got rid of!) and we'll get rid of a lot more once we get our stuff back. The kids have had some time away from most of their toys, so we'll be able to figure out what they do and don't really miss.
Lindsey's at an age where she's outgrown a fair amount of her toys.. they're little kid stuff, and she's a big kid now. We're getting her a bunch of only hearts club girl stuff and some things for her room. She'll be getting 2 leapster games. From Santa she's asked for a polly pocket hairstyling doll. We'll order her a new recaro carseat as well, since we need a carseat she'll fit in for Eric's car as well (the radians will move to his car). The kids exchange gifts with eachother as well.. Leila got her a deck of gingerbread playing cards from the $1 section at target, and Josh is getting her a bottle of chemical free nail polish.
Joshua has decided that many of the toys he had in his room are things he's not interested in keeping anymore. He wants playmobil and art supplies. He'll be getting 2 leapster games. From Santa he's asked for tree blocks. He'll be getting a recaro seat as well. Leila's giving him snowman playing cards and Lindsey got him a rubber duckie that's a pirate.
Leila will be getting a leapster and two games. She's also getting a dolly that Steph made for her. From Santa, she's asked for "clicky dolls" (fisher price snap and style dolls). Lindsey's giving her a princess rubber duckie, and Josh is giving her a ballerina outfit for the clicky dolls. She's got two carseats, so her other gift will be bedding for her new room, since she's never had a room before.
Gifts to other people are ornaments (made by the kids), a new picture of the kids (since Leila's grown hair), chico bags, eco bags (both bought through coops) and soap from motherhues. I feel good about all of that. Oh, I bought my mom a frame that says "grandkids are for hugging" for the snapshot we just got of her and all 7 grandkids, and a new coffeemaker since her's kicked the bucket while I was there.
__________________
Our first REAL snowman.. a lasting memory of the snow
I have not read the whole thread..but I believe in loving christmas...our focus is our children, and doing as much handmade things as possible. So..we are ordering some customs from Joy, got some Melissa and Doug stuff (all educational toys) from a local WAHM (www.peapiebaby.com) and I will be making them some things and getting some much needed winter pajamas.
For the rest of my family I am making rice heating pads.
For my neice I made a mermaid doll (in the crafty mama section)
For my little nephew I made a knitted wool bear.
Simplicity and value and spending time loving our babies is what it's all about, not stuff.
__________________
Meg
Mama to Alexis, 22; Jacob, 19; and Elijah 11/20/02 and Sophia Jane, 11/20/04
Sophie sees Santa for the first time:
Location: There's 52 stations on the Nothern line. One of them is yours; none of them is mine.
Posts: 11,719
Jodi really did get rid of a ton of stuff. Literally. Had we weighed it, it would have been at least a ton. She did great. Really got it down to what was important to her.
I know this is an old thread, but what a great one to bring back.
So this year, I'd say I'm really grateful for our togetherness, and one of our main gifts to our family (my kids, DH and I, and extended family on both sides) is going to be the experience of being together. I'm spending pretty much the whole Christmas budget on renting a house near my sister for a week and then driving to Florida to see the other side of our family. So much nicer than things.
So this year, I'd say I'm really grateful for our togetherness, and one of our main gifts to our family (my kids, DH and I, and extended family on both sides) is going to be the experience of being together. I'm spending pretty much the whole Christmas budget on renting a house near my sister for a week and then driving to Florida to see the other side of our family. So much nicer than things.
Ahem...please remember to drop by on your way past!! Exit 390!
I too have been thinking about this a lot. In a couple of months my boys and I are going to be moving back home to my parents house so I can continue on with some cancer treatment and we are going to be staying in one room in the house and in their camping trailer in the driveway. I'm really going to have to cut down on "stuff." Really the boys have only a few favorite toys that they play with over and over.
I wish we could just tell people don't buy us gifts because we don't need them. They could use some new clothes but I guess grandparents don't think clothes are a fun gift to buy.
So, I guess I really don't know....I'm going to go back and read the other responses to see what others suggest.
Tawnya
__________________
Bald is BEAUTIFUL!
Me and my three rays of SONshine
Funny how perspective can change in two years time. When I posted this thread initially, we were doing AWESOME financially. Now that we're in a serious financial disaster, I am sweating over not being able to get anything for the girls. Luna won't understand, but Nico and Kaya will surely notice. Feast or famine, it is all perspective.
This is the first year we've started to be extremely conscious of not putting stuff on the credit card. I think that's a huge part of holiday spending - the perception that it's 'deserved' or 'special' enough to go further into debt. That's why so many people funk out with depression post-Christmas... No more shopping, no more gifting, then the bills arrive.
What an enlightening, therapeutic thread (and it's good to see some of the people I've missed from 2005 - where are you all hiding?) Sometimes it just takes someone else saying "I'm right there with you" to let you feel it's alright to NOT participate in the 'normal' mode of operation.
Location: There's 52 stations on the Nothern line. One of them is yours; none of them is mine.
Posts: 11,719
Quote:
Originally Posted by Megmama
Ahem...please remember to drop by on your way past!! Exit 390!
You, my friend, are part of all this togetherness for the holidays. Now that you're in my favorite place on earth (and directly on my path to Tampa), it will be a given that we stop there. We're also planning to visit with GA people.
You, my friend, are part of all this togetherness for the holidays. Now that you're in my favorite place on earth (and directly on my path to Tampa), it will be a given that we stop there. We're also planning to visit with GA people.
Well, there's only one thing to say to that! YAY!!
It's beautiful!
For Eric and I, we're asking for house stuff.. my mom bought us new pots and pans and a new comforter/sheets (one is housewarming, one is xmas), my Dad is buying us a couple new lamps for housewarming/xmas, etc.
Julie 
Linear Mode
