Christmas . . .afternoon?

I must continue to the end of Christmas. The Christmas we hope to not repeat because as it turns out, we adventurers prefer to keep our traditions rather traditional. I don't know though. There are certainly lessons to be learned, reset buttons that need to be reset, launching pads that lift to a higher and holier level. Being sick always makes me introspective. Seeing all the social media glory of everyone's abundance of gifts and matching PJ's and hugging children and then here we are. Looking like we all need a soak and a scrub. Feeling like we want to shed every spec of Egyptian dust and germs we lounge around looking for the magic.

Even the best laid plans...I asked my household help to wrap the presents and fill the stockings and lay them on the ground. She took all the stocking goodies, wrapped it together and left the post it note with the name on it, and then taped that to the little gift santa left for each child-a box of goldfish. She did lay the stockings down behind the tree but they were empty. I still don't really understand what she was thinking but the last reach toward magical was foiled haha!

And yet, they loved what they got. Not one child expressed disappointment that Santa only brought a box of goldfish. They were so excited for the surprises that they brought for each other. Alena had secretly purchased the glow-in-the-dark turtles made from Alabaster in luxor and Elise was thrilled. Elder Lucas got to share our gifting with us as you see below. 

You can see Brigham still wasn't himself. Sennia was the generous giver of his favorite gift. When he broke a piece everyone rallied around him. Eli insisted we use super glue and not wood glue, Sam's steady hands and my patient mind got together to help him be a success. 

Eli has always made the most heartfelt, spirit felt gifts and this one wowed. 

Samuel had no gift to be absorbed in so he was happy to be a lego assistant.

I love gifting. I love seeing my kids so excited about opening gifts I plan and prepare for them. I think more than that though, I love seeing them happy with less. Seeing them happy for each other, seeing them wrapped up in the happiness of their siblings. Abundance destroys those feelings too easily. Last year I foiled it but hiding the bulk of the gifts until after we opened gifts from each other. This year it was achieved by not having any bulk of gifts. I hope we can do things a little differently from here on out. Christmas should never be about selfish feelings. At least not when you're older than 8.