Shhhh! Secret about Christmas...

We have two writers in the family. Gana is about to do her first posting...


From Gana:

I need to let you in on a secret happening at our house this Christmas. In blending two families, there are always challenges, and in our case, we had two children who loved making a Christmas list with size, color, and price noted... and two children who preferred everything under our tree being a surprise. Last year we did what each individual child was used to... but this year we are shaking it up.

In early December we made a big song and dance about Christmas being (*sigh*) smaller this year. We let them know that they would have $ 30 each for presents (gasp! horror!)... so we were going to let THEM pick out their Christmas presents, to be sure they got what they REALLY wanted with the limited dollars. We held our breaths, with only one child shreiking at the small dollar amount. The other three cheered when they heard the rest of the plan. A parent would take an individual child out on a personal date, EVERY weekend between then and Christmas, to let them shop at the store(s) of their choice, until the $ 30 was used up. They could choose to spend it all on one gift, or divide it up in any way they chose. So a shopping mission began, with great results. We watched and listened as the kids bargained with themselves outloud while shopping... "Hmmm... I really love this, but I think I could get it for a better price at x-y-z", etc. We secretly smiled as they fit within the parameters of what they didn't realize was just one part of "the game".

Journey was an excellent shopper, but (politely) grumbled that it takes the fun out of Christmas when you already know what you will be unwrapping. She did a really good job with spreading her dollars around, and is pleased with what she picked out, but... she's not sure this was all such a good idea.

Sable hemmed and hawed about making decisions, and finally asked on one of our "dates", if she could spend her $ 30 on the other three kids. I questioned to be sure she understood that that meant she wouldn't have gifts to open (she doesn't know the rest of the game), and she assured me that she knew that, and still wanted to spend her money "giving". So we let her. She was getting the real meaning of "giving" --- and sacrificing self in the process. But in the few weeks since, Sable has quietly asked if next year, we can go back to the "old way", of Christmas gifts being a surprise. Her reason? Because you don't get the same feeling of LOVE, when you pick out your own gifts, as you do when people take the time to pick things that they think you will like. My heart smiled at that one. (And lest you feel too much pity, realize that this is our "hoarding" child, who has massive amounts of money saved up from her allowance and extra chores! I think she's actually having pity on the other poor children in our house who don't know how to save...!)

SO!!! To tell you the rest of the story, the kids will be opening their self-selected presents on Christmas Eve, after we do the last candle on our advent wreath, with us using the story that Christmas morning will be too rushed for present opening, with having to get Journey to the airport. They will also open the small gifts that they bought/made for each other on Christmas Eve. And we will pretend like, Whew! We did it! Wasn't that a success! --- and let them watch a classic Christmas movie, before we go to midnight mass. What they don't know is... Christmas morning they will find their stocking filled, and the first of several scavenger hunt notes, that will lead them all over the house to find (surprise!) more presents that we were secretly buying on the side.

Once the whooping and hollering and running from floor to floor "hunting" is over, and the trash is once again gathered... we are going to have a chat about the real meaning of Christmas. What parts they liked about picking their own presents, what part they didn't like. How did they feel Christmas Eve when the "smaller" Christmas was over. Was their heart content and happy, when we had smaller amounts of presents, but wonderful food, wonderful family time, with the evening ending with Christmas Eve mass? What was it like Christmas morning when something totally unexpected happened? When it was bigger and better than what they went to bed content with the night before. Then we will talk about how so many times we settle in life for what is on OUR "list"... when what God has planned for us is so much bigger and better. And His plans will sometimes lead us around in crazy ways (like a scavenger hunt), where we can't help but question what He is up to... but it's part of His plan. He's carefully moving chess pieces to put us exactly where He needs us. Or as some have stated it, weaving a tapestry in our life, and all we can see is the underside with the mess of knots and blur of colors that look inside-out. But when it's all revealed --- we will be so thrilled that we trusted Him enough to follow the crazy twists and turns.

So our Christmas is a bit shaken up this year, and this of course won't work "next year", because the kids will already know the secret. So we'll have to get creative again. But just wanted you to know that the (shock! horror!) limited budget the kids might quote to you for our Christmas is actually a farce. And any concern the kids show about how terrible it is to have to pick out your own gifts... that's exactly where we want them to be... :)

Hope you have a merry time of your own this weekend and coming week, as you celebrate our Saviour's birth! Gana