Not on your life! Reading all the bulletin board and blog posts about the millions of gifts kids got (and parents bought), not to mention the overwhelming amount of decorations, trees, discarded wrappings and toys packaging parents now have to somehow store or discard makes me very, very happy that there is no Christmas in our house.
Chanukah, however, was a fun event and our girl did get a few gifts she loved. Here are her 2 favorites, so if any of my readers are looking for gift ideas for 4-5 year old girls…well…I highly recommend these:
Princess game house-This will require parental involvement if siblings are not around, but games are a lot more fun that playing with dolls!This toy has some that adults and kids can enjoy like checkers, bingo and tic-tac-toe. As a bonus, the box is a lovely wooden addition to any princess’s room, and keeps everything neat and tidy.
Alex Sticker Factory-Awesome toy. The girl played with it by herself for hours once she learned how to use it. A bit difficult to put together and learn to use, but easy once it is done. Creates a lot of paper clippings. Worth it though, for the baby-sitting factor. The man and I have had several romantic dinners out while the sticker factory kept our little girl out of trouble and saved us from having to pay for a baby-sitter (kidding, obviously…but it is a very occupying toy and she truly would not have noticed if we had gone out!). Be sure to buy several refills if you get it.
Gift Ideas For Kids said,
December 29, 2007 @ 11:56 pm
[...] Christmas Envy? [...]
johnnypeepers said,
December 30, 2007 @ 6:38 am
I am also glad that there is no Christmas in your house. The celebration of the false Messiah would be a repudiation of your faith. Thank you for being strong in your beliefs and religious heritage.
The Blogger said,
December 30, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
Ah well, it is not so much about faith. I don’t have so much faith. My religious practices are guided by family and tradition.
My feelings about religion and faith are pretty confused…but can be honed down to “I wasn’t around in biblical times, I don’t know what happened”. I have no idea if Christ was the Messiah, if the Messiah is still coming, or if the concept of the Messiah is even real or not.
Chrissy said,
December 31, 2007 @ 11:47 pm
We celebrate Christmas in our family. It’s the one time in the whole year that my family can get together all under one roof since now that we’re all grown up, we live all over the globe.
I use reusable gift bags made of fabric so people can use them for other things or use them for their gifts to other people. As for the wrapping paper, I reuse it. I’ve always been thought of as a “saver of all things” (according to my family) but I reuse and recycle most things. I prefer the reusable fabric bags for gift giving or I also like wrapping gifts in a tea towel and secure it with a bow.
I gave a friend a jar filled with layers of ingredients for my chocolate chip cookies. I attached a recipe card that had the instructions for baking and then I wrapped it in a handmade tea towel and ribbon, and voila! Economical, practical, enviro-friendly and from the heart!
The Blogger said,
January 6, 2008 @ 1:55 am
Chrissy, sounds like Christmas is lovely for you and you try to be responsible eabout it, that’s great (and I want a cookie jar!). So many don’t. On a bulletin board I post on everyone was saying how important it is to wrap not bag Christmas gifts, as it is so much “nicer” Well, maybe…but it also create a lot more waste, and work. For the most part, people don’t re-use wrapping paper. Gift bags, even paper ones, tend to get reused until they are dead!
I also bought a cloth gift bag for the one person I did buy a Christmas gift for…and she loved it! It was a game of “Evil Santa” and she chose the gift for the bag!
My post wasn’t meant to imply that there is anything wrong with Christmas, but more a response to all the people that tell me they feel sorry for me/my daughter/my family because we don’t have Christmas.
Sometimes, there is a little bit of envy. So it helps to remind myself (and any readers that may be tempted to say things like this to their non-Christian aquaintances) that Christmas, though nice for those that celebrate it, also involves a lot of work and money and (usually) waste and excess. So, no need for envy!