I know I've been kind of quiet lately, but that's because I'm frantically working behind the scenes to pull off a fantastic holiday once again this year. The holiday cards are printed and screaming at me from the desk to be stuffed in envelopes. Thankfully after I complained on Facebook today that I hate trying to print address labels, which I do with my entire body and soul, Charlie took pity on me and found some time to do it at work. I wrote our annual letter that goes with the cards already, just waiting for Charlie to make 150 (yes, we send about 150 holiday cards) copies so they can be folded and added to the picture cards. So, hopefully by the end of the weekend they will all be stuffed and in the mail. I have considered on many occasions just sending the cards without the letters, but there are too many people that say "Oh, I just love your Christmas letter" and would be very angry with us if it didn't get included. Of course if those people just read my blog they wouldn't need the letter, hmm.
We delivered almost all of the kids' teacher gifts already, just a few last ones to do tomorrow. I hate waiting until the end of the week to give them, in case the kids or the teacher or the teacher's kid gets sick and then you have to wait until after the break to do it. I made bread this year, and we would get really fat eating it all before the break is over and then would have to make even more, no way. 36 mini loaves was enough thank you!
The presents are another story. I'm done shopping, you don't have to worry about that. Except for my brother, David's kids (uh-hmm, because I haven't been told what they want), I finished the last couple stocking stuffers last night. I start buying things for the kids in August. Just little things, but I know if I see something and say that I'm going to get it later, I never find it. So my gift closet starts out kind of empty and then as the months go buy it gets fuller and fuller. No, my problem isn't buying, it's wrapping. I can guarantee that I will spend several nights next week wrapping presents because there's just no other time to do it. The paper will still have my breath on it when they open their gifts.
The extra challenge that our family has is that we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. It's not a challenge for the kids, they love all the presents. It's a challenge for us because a) we have to come up with enough gifts and then b) they have way too much junk lying around the house. Charlie has told me that Hanukkah presents can't be over $5 each, but the only think you can buy for under $5 is junk, so I try to keep it to $10-$15, which can still be challenging. The last two years Andy has gotten a lot of books for Hanukkah, but he is okay with that. They are usually ones he wants anyway. The girls get art supplies, books, and little toys like My Little Ponies and Littlest Pet Shop. Amanda is having a very Elmo Christmas and Hanukkah, which means most of her gifts for both holidays will have something to do with Sesame Street and Elmo, but she'll be all over it.
The struggle we have with Hanukkah and Christmas is that they are usually pretty close together. I love it when Hanukkah is the first week of December. Then there is no overlap. But this year it starts around December 19. That means Christmas Day is one of the days of Hanukkah. Plus, we will be out of town for a couple of the days. So, in our flexible, happy go lucky way (ha ha), we tend to move Hanukkah to when it fits us. You can't really move Christmas because every knows it's December 25, but not many people know when Hanukkah officially starts each year, and surely the people that do are not our kids. They are just happy to have it whenever we do it.
In past years we've had such a hard time fitting it in that we will do a couple of days, take a few off, do a few more, whatever works. We always get in all eight, and we always say the prayers and light the candles. Charlie makes sure the kids know the story of Hanukkah and why we have it (I'm pretty sure they know the story of Hanukkah better than the story of Christmas, which means I need to work a little harder) and they know they are to respect the time while we are lighting the candles and remain quiet. If they always behaved as well as they did during the short time that we light the candles my life would be so easy.
Overall we make it work, it's just hectic. So maybe this year I have wrapped the Hanukkah presents five minutes before giving them to the kids each night, but at least they are wrapped and I actually have all the gifts. The kids are happy and that's all that really matters.
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