Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Thursday, December 5, 2013

I think I just may be a scrooge

My 9 year old daughter came home from school this week and asked me if we could do "Elf on the shelf." Had she asked me this last year at this time, I'd have been clueless to what she was talking about! But in this day and age of the internet and Facebook, I've come to find out what this game is. Apparently parents buy a toy elf and move him around to let their children know that he is watching them before Christmas for Santa Claus (at least that's how I understand it, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Some parents make the game more simple in having this elf move from one shelf to another, or even from room to room. Some parents get more elaborate and have their elves get into mischief (i.e. making messes around the house that the elf supposedly did while everyone was sleeping). I, for one, have enough messes to clean up without getting into anything like that! Hah!

I looked my daughter straight in the eyes and said, "No, I'm never doing that. Sorry." I'm sure all her childhood dreams were subsequently crushed and she'll need years of therapy to make up for this deprivation. I did go on to tell her that while I think it's a fun game for some families to play, with six children, and being the primary one responsible for researching and grabbing all the good deals for Christmas online (which takes quite a bit of research!), I just don't have the time or the desire to start this game.

I should probably note that my 9 year old doesn't believe in Santa anymore. Before you think I'm terrible, I'll say that while I love the idea of Santa Claus and we do play along with the fantasy with our children when they're young, we also have the "Honesy when asked" policy. So when she came to us last year and said she wasn't sure she believed anymore, I asked her if she was sure she wanted to believe anything other than what she knew about Santa being real. She said she really wanted to know, so my husband and I told her about the history of St. Nicholas and how the idea of him lives on in Santa Claus. She thought this was great!

Anyway, this whole thing got me thinking this year. I think in some ways some people might think I've become a bit of a miser when it comes to Christmas. I just hate what it's becoming. I remember when I was little and we had next to nothing sometimes, that it didn't really matter what I got, I just remember the time spent with those I love. Now it's all about who can get the best gadgets and gizmoes. It's all about taking away yet another holiday from workers and opening businesses on Thanksgiving so people can fight, push and shove on a day we profess to be thankful for what we already have (this is a favored holiday of mine) and it just goes on from there.

Early in my adulthood, I did try Black Friday at Walmart a few times, but the last time I did people were crashing their carts repeatedly into my heals, pushing me out of the way to get to something first and one man was even deteremined that he wanted to get into a fist fight with my husband because we walked around him while he was looking at movies in the aisle! We didn't butt in a line, we didn't shove him, we just pushed our cart quickly around him so as not to block his view for long so we could make it to the other side of the store and the bathroom for our toddler at the time. Yeah! That's what Christmas is all about! And from the news articles and YouTube videos I've seen, this seems to be the accepted norm.

After those experiences, I tried waiting to shop until the week of Christmas. Then I started doing all of our shopping online several years ago, so as to minimize the amount of time we have to spend out in the crazy stores. That's just not my thing! I really don't care about this stuff. You can't take it with you and most of it's forgotten in a month anyway. That's not to say that I don't enjoy finding gifts for my children that I think they would genuinely enjoy. I do. But in moderation, so they appreciate it when they get it.

I also don't do much by way of decorating. I hate heights. I get severe vertigo so you will never catch me attempting to hang the lights on the house. My husband doesn't mind roofs so much (he's used to it in his profession), but he's not that driven to go out there in the freezing cold temperatures to get the lights on the often slippery roof, only to have to do it again to take them all down again in a month. Not only that, but we noticed the jump in our utilities when we had all the lights up and decided it wasn't that big of a deal and we could just do the stockings, tree, wreaths, nic nacs and perhaps the ground decorations outside.

Saying all this out in the open here makes me think I probably sound like a grump. I don't really think I am. But I am practical. We have a very small Christmas budget to stretch out amongst our children here (my husband and I don't even do gifts for each other so as to maximize what we can do for our children) and if I can save money by not doing some of these other things, I will.

We do like to watch Christmas movies starting on Thanksgiving. It's a family thing and we do it several nights a week up to Christmas day with all of our children. We make goodies for our neighbors (though we missed last year because I was so sick with my pregnancy).

So if refusing to do this one activity makes me a scrooge, because I know I'm not as much fun as some of these Supermoms out there, then so be it. That's just who I am. :)


Friday, December 24, 2010

I'm a HubNugget Candidate!

I'm sure many of you remember me telling you recently that I wrote about an experience I had with a homeless person on HubPages. Well, I didn't expect anything to come from it, other than to get people thinking about this issue, but it turns out, it got me nominated for the HubNuggets Award!!!!

This is an award than can only be won by new writers to HubPages and I'm so excited that I got picked! Winning it though, happens on a voting system. So if you wouldn't mind going to this link and reading it (if you haven't already) and voting for it if you like it (by clicking the vote-up button), then I would be very thankful!

By the way, I  hope you all are having a Very Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 17, 2010

Last Minute Shoppers Will Jump on This Deal!

I remember the days when I left everything to the very last minute when it came to Christmas. But with the popularity of shopping online, I've jumped onboard and have gotten things done in record time this year (a record for me anyway). I almost wish I had waited though, when my brother-in-law mentioned a deal he got on Amazon today. I checked and it's still there! What's the deal you ask?

It's a Playstation 3 160 GB for $298.30. That by itself isn't a bad price, but it comes with a $100 promotional credit toward the purchase of items shipped and sold by Amazon.com. If you're like me, and use Amazon for anything from diapers, to movies, to books and even clarinet reeds, then this is an awesome deal. I nearly went for it myself when reality sat in and I realized we'd spent our Christmas budget and I'm supposed to be budget-wise. Haha! Darn that voice of reason!

Anyway, if you have a gamer in your household and have been thinking about getting one of these, this would be the perfect time. It also has a built-in Blueray player, which by itself is a great thing.

Just thought I would share, just in case any of you out there are seeking some deals for you last minute shopping! Good luck to you!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Don't Get too Caught Up

With nine days left 'til Christmas, retailers are being swarmed with customers anxiously trying to complete those Christmas lists. Businesses are bombarding us with advertisements for all the latest and greatest gadgets for the special people in our lives. We want to wow our loved ones on Christmas day, so we scramble to get all those things on their wish lists in hopes they will feel loved and that they will love us more in return.


It's so easy to get caught up in the hype, and no doubt it's a great feeling to watch someone's face as they open a gift you've given them. But it's important to not forget what this whole thing is about in the first place. And just what is Christmas about anyway? If you ask a child, no doubt you'll get the answers: "Toys!" "Presents!" "Santa!" "Reindeer!" and "Cookies!" We have to admit, that's certainly become a big part of it. But is that really the most important message we want to send?

I have some friends and family members who have experienced job loss in this economy. They all have families to take care of and children who are anxiously awaiting that jolly old elf. Some have asked for help from their churches or from family to provide some of those presents under the tree. Others are scaling back and only providing the necessities. All are feeling the pressure from outside sources to give more than they are financially capable of this year.

It's easy to get caught up in the holiday shopping hype, and heaven knows I've done it too, but we need to try to take a step back and remember why we do this in the first place. Christmas isn't about giving our children, family and friends the latest and greatest things money can buy. It's not even about that big dinner you may serve to your loved ones. It's not about the parties or the cookies or the cards. While all of those things are nice, and feel great to both give and receive, it's the by product of the holiday, but not the reason for it.

Christmas is about the gift we all were given with the birth of our Lord. The way He came to be in this world; the lessons He taught while He was here; and the way He died for us were His ultimate gifts to us. These are gifts we will never be able to match, no matter how hard we may try.

It's so important to not let the message of the season get lost with all those material things. Christmas is about giving. Most of us got that part of the message. But it's not about having the best gift or the most gifts or the right gifts. It's about coming together and sharing, loving, caring, helping, and remembering. It's about all those good things that we all love to experience and be the recipients of. 

So maybe this year would be a good year to sit down and talk about why we celebrate this holiday, or any other holiday. You might find that the memories you create with this discussion will be more lasting than any one of those presents under the tree.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Finally Done with Christmas Shopping!

I think this is the earliest I've ever finished my Christmas shopping, but man, am I glad to have it behind me (now it's the thought of the wrapping that's intimidating). I did a lot of my shopping on Amazon (love those Lightning and Gold Box Deals they're doing for the holidays), through book clubs (buy one, get one with free shipping for members), Kohls (with those coupon codes from RetailMeNot), The Children's Place (yes, with coupon codes and clearance deals) and Barnes and Noble (with a 30% off one item coupon code: H4W9V7M--which I got for signing up for their kids club).

Oh, and speaking of some of those Amazon deals, I found The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Two-Disc Special Edition) for only 17.99! So if you're a Twilight fan, I'd jump on it before that deal is gone. This could also be a gift idea for the Twilight lover in your life.

I've definitely gotten my money's worth this year and I've got more to show for it, too. Which is a good thing considering that I've got a larger family this year! We're actually spending less money this year, compared with last year, but I don't think anyone would notice. Not only that, but our kids are great and are thankful for every thing they receive (and if they weren't, I'd seriously consider giving them coal instead! Haha!).

So how are all of you making out? Got any tips you can share? I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Whatever holiday you celebrate, may this season bring you only good things!

Friday, December 3, 2010

What's in Those Video Games?


If you're anything like our family, then you're probably overwhelmed with all the possible Christmas gift ideas for all the people on your list. One of the things that is probably on that list is a video game (or two!). But unless you're a big time gamer with multiple subscriptions to those gaming magazines, then you might be lost as to what kind of game you want to buy.


I've learned what works and what doesn't and have narrowed it down in my article for HubPages for those of you who are in the same boat I found myself in. Take a look!




Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Make Your Own Easy Bake Mixes!

So my oldest daughter got an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas a few years ago. At the time, we bought several mixes to go with it and payed little attention to the portion size or cost. Well, she liked it, but it wasn't something she could do by herself back then, so after a few uses it was put in the cupboard with the leftover mixes and mostly forgotten about.

Well, she found it last night. I was busy taking care of the baby, and she begged to use it. I finally said she could, if she could do it all by herself (she's ten now). She readily agreed to those terms and I listened with half an ear to how she was doing with the whole process from the next room. She did great! In fact, she loved it so much, she declared after using all the mixes up that she wanted more for Christmas.

I've been trying to figure out what to get her anyway, so I jumped on the idea. Well, after spending a part of my morning searching for Easy Bake refills, I'm very disappointed. Are they serious? Sure these mixes have a long shelf life, only need water and are very convenient, but are they really worth $6-$15 for what amounts to only a few cookies and tiny cakes (okay, so I'm not counting the learning experience)?

Maybe I'm just cheap (the economy has certainly contributed to that) but I just can't do it! Still, I don't want my daughter's budding interest to fly out the window either. Though she does bake with me quite a bit at this time of year, she felt a real sense of accomplishment in doing it by herself and I didn't have a heart attack at the idea of her operating my kitchen equipment. LOL

So I did a search on whether or not you can make your own Easy Bake recipes and I found a website that offers a ton of them! They even rank them as to how easy or hard they are. That's awesome! So I quickly saved it in my favorites and decided I had to share that link for 250 Easy Bake Oven recipes with all of you.

So if you decide to get your little one an easy bake oven (lots of fun, and pretty inexpensive by itself), don't go broke buying up all those mixes! Let your child keep on learning and make your own mixes. It's a great way to save money!