This is the first Christmas for our twin boys. They will be a few days short of a year old when the big day rolls around. It is hard to believe that we have survived a year. There have been a lot of changes in our lives since our little nuggets arrived, but the biggest one is me staying at home with them. It is not something I regret at all, in fact I know many mommas out there would love to be able to do it and I am lucky that we can make it work. Its a blessing. I also started with the delusion that I would be able to do all kinds of things that I have been wanting to do in my “spare time.” Veteran moms, feel free to laugh now.
We have also noticed a large influx of “Stuff.” The bouncy things, the walkers, stuffed toys, balls, clothes, accessories, that spooky camera toy that talks when no one is near it … and any number of other things. Our once tidy home looks like a ball pit at Chucky Cheese. And it’s not just baby stuff; it seems like every time we go out we get another pile of things that we somehow have to make our home absorb. Bottom line — we have too much STUFF.
Besides planning a major purge of a garage sale in the spring, we are tackling Christmas. The most stuff-iest day of the year. We want to focus on family and making memories. Maybe its just a foolish wish but we would like our kids to cherish the entire holiday season, not just the getting of things. A toy will break but a memory and a tradition will last a lifetime. It has been a lot of fun so far too!
Making New Traditions
Our first new family tradition started the day after Thanksgiving. We loaded up the four wheel drive sleigh and headed to Frankenmuth, Michigan. In hindsight we didn’t really pick the best day to go, the place was swarming with people, but it was so much fun. Bronners was our first stop; if you have never been it is worth checking out. It is the world’s largest Christmas store. The boys loved the shiny things on the ceiling, no one cried, and nothing got broken. A+ Yoders! We then proceeded to Zenders, a family style restaurant featuring chicken and potatoes and homemade bread. The boys ate all the squash and loved the butter noodles. A side note: not all the restrooms have changing tables. Matt was gone so long searching and waiting for a bathroom with a changing table that I started to get worried.
We checked out all the cool shops on the main drag while we waited for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony to begin. There is a really neat toy shop and I really liked my German chocolate latte from the little coffee shop downtown. The Christmas tree lighting ceremony was really neat! They had a German band that sang carols in German and a candlelight walk that we didn’t get to participate in like we had hoped, it started snowing and the boys had had enough so we packed up and went home.
The next day we focused on putting up our tree and decorating it. A much slower process now, since every ornament must be inspected and approved by two tiny boys. We cannot put up the tree without watching “Christmas Vacation.” It’s something that me and my family did for years and it feels funny without it.
I also made a point to get down to see my grandmother. My mom and I got the boys around and spent the evening making two batches of molasses cookies while she visited with her great grandchildren. That’s magic right there.
Homemade Gifting And Skill Building Gifts
A few years ago we started frowning upon purchased gifts in favor of homemade ones. Homemade gifts mean more than anything bought from a store. My sister knits a mean scarf, my husband can whip out gorgeous picture frames, and I make birdseed wreaths. We are a crafty family and we all have our talents. My dad loves to cook and always makes an amazing restaurant quality feast. Every. Single. Holiday. And my mom might as well be a Christmas interior decorator, the house is always stunning. Sharing your talents with your family and friends is a great way to keep costs down and spirits up. Also gifts that encourage interests or ones that make a memory are amazing. Does your kid need the latest (annoying) Tickle Me Elmo? Maybe that birdhouse kit that she can put together with her dad would mean more in the end. Go to a ball game, show them how to change a tire, take them to a museum, or the zoo. Skills and interests last a lifetime. Do I remember what I got Christmas morning when I was 9? Heck no! I DO, however, remember helping my dad and grandpa build the sugar shack and learning about making maple syrup. I remember picking out one new ornament every year at Christmas Manor with my mom and sister after our school’s Halloween parade. I remember drawing dinosaurs on the floor with my uncle while we waited for the turkey to get carved. I remember sleeping with my sister in her room Christmas Eve and swearing we could hear bells and tiny hooves on our roof. Little things that hardly cost much are the things that stuck with me all these years.
I have so many fond memories of Christmas. My parents really made it a magical time of the year. I just hope we can continue that for our children. It was never about “getting” so much as the feeling surrounding the whole month of December. We baked, made gingerbread houses, made ornaments and read stories,wrote letters to Santa, strung popcorn and cranberries, played games … and all the love, it was amazing. I wish for our children to be content with a few gifts and happy to spend time with their family and play games, drink cocoa and build snowmen. That’s what Christmas is all about for me.
Rachel is a gardener, beekeeper, wife & mother of three wild and crazy boys, and lover of all things homesteading.
