So much crap that I have spent the
last two months sorting unused and unwanted items. I have already taken two
huge loads to Goodwill and have another large load sitting in my living room
waiting to go. Despite my efforts, I find discarded items in every room of the
house. I am currently looking at three of Lu’s stuffed animals scattered around
the family room floor. The chaos is overwhelming and attempts at cleaning and
organizing are fruitless.
I worry about the message we are
sending our girls; the potential for raising spoiled, ungrateful little
wretches. I worry that their values lie with things, as opposed to people. I
worry that they lack empathy for those less fortunate. And I worry that all
these things are breeding entitled brats who believe the world owes them these
material goods.
Therefore, before the Christmas
season began, I swore that this year we would be having a “small” Christmas; that
though my girls would receive gifts, I would purchase half of what I have in
the past. I even had a conversation with Lucy, telling her that Santa and I had
a conversation regarding the number of gifts she would be receiving this year
because she and Lily have more than enough toys.
Honestly, I thought buying little
would be easy. My plan was to purchase one large gift for each girl and then
four or five smaller gifts. I swore not to purchase crap gifts, in other words
those small toys that get played with for a day or two then either break or are
dropped on the floor or thrown in a basket and forgotten. I also swore not to
purchase toys just to up the number of gifts under the tree. My gifts would
require thought and be high on the girls’ lists of most wanted.
Sticking to these rules, I finished
my Christmas shopping in one day, and quite frankly, was extremely proud of
myself for keeping my own promise. However, within the last day or two the
pressures of materialism have begun to weigh on me. I have started to think
that what I bought is not enough. As catalogs have inundated my mailbox, I have
browsed their pages finding one more item Lily would love, one more craft Lu
would enjoy. I have also felt a tinge of sadness that I crammed the whole
Christmas season into one day while sitting on my couch, that I missed the
shopping experience by buying everything online. I have had to resist the
temptation to run to Target for another item or two.
The point, however, is that I have
resisted the temptation. That every time I have thought I should buy another
toy or craft supply, I have looked around the house at the girls overflowing
toy bins and stopped dead in my tracks. I have also looked at my bank account
and felt good about the results of having a small Christmas. In the past, I
have put considerable strain upon it, or have wondered where the money for
Christmas is going to come from. This year, my bank account is thanking
me. I can only hope that on Christmas
day the girls will be thanking Santa for their well thought out gifts, and one
day be thanking me for teaching them the true meaning and value of Christmas.
