All that Stuff

So, first things first. Let me set the scene: I am a modern, suburban, moderate-liberal, tree-hugging hippie. I throw the "moderate" in there because while I enjoy things like sushi and lattes (and lots of other stereotypical liberal delicacies) we also own two SUV's, way too many electronic gadgets, and well, I'm a stay-at-home-mom who cooks and cleans and cares for babies all day while Pope goes off to be the bread-winner in a (sexy) suit and tie who fights the good fight and pays the bills. That's just down right traditional, right there!

But I digress.

The point is I'm a hippie. And I hate too much stuff. So the joy of Christmas for me can sometimes be temporarily shadowed by the idea that all we're doing is cramming more stuff we don't need into our house and into our hearts. Who needs a new Xbox 360 game when I could just bake you some nice banana bread, instead? Well....Derrick does. Because he loves video games and detests bananas. Hmmm.

And why do my kids need so many toys? They spend most of the day playing with my pots & pans anyway! It's just so much fun to see the joy when they open the presents on Christmas morning. Christmas is magical because I have kids....but they get too much stuff.

And so, I start my lifelong quest to teach my kids about giving and not about getting. To make them love Christmas and not just for the presents. To teach them gratitude and graciousness and generosity.

Because it's not just about the stuff. But Christmas morning sure will be fun. And my black SUV is packed full of presents, anyway. See what ideals get you? Nothin'!