I love Christmas time. The traditions, the family time, the lights, the music, the decorations, and of course, I love giving gifts. Every year I make my list of who I am going to buy gifts for and I start to shop. Normally I start around October and by the beginning of December I am done shopping and ready to wrap. I’d love to say that I am ready to wrap gifts but this year seems to be different. I am more anxious this year. I am behind.
I’m having trouble thinking of and buying the perfect gift. I love sentimental gifts. I put a lot of thought into the things that I give, and I take pride in them. I always make sure to tailor the gifts to the person that I am giving them to, I don’t like “generic” gifts. But this year I seem to be out of ideas. And I feel like I’m running out of time.
December is officially here. With 23 days left until Christmas I am scrambling. I know who I am buying for, I just don’t know what to buy. My children don’t need anything, my husband refuses to ask for anything, and people are getting older and harder to buy for. What do you do for someone who has everything? Do you get them an experience instead of a tangible gift? Do you just give them cash or a gift card? That’s boring, but useful. Do you make something instead of buying it? I just don’t know.
I think this year I need to take a different approach to gift giving. Why do I put so much pressure myself? My 11-year-old son honestly doesn’t care what he gets as long as he has something to open. My 14-year-old daughter would prefer money or concert tickets. But are those practical? Are those fun and meaningful? Sometimes I feel like they don’t really care what they get as long as they have something to open on Christmas morning.
When did I make Christmas all about presents, and less about traditions and family time? I remember the first year I was a mother. I was so excited to buy Cadence gifts, even though she was only 3 months old at the time. She would never know what she was receiving. She wouldn’t even be able to open the gifts. But that wasn’t the point. I just loved the act of giving her things. And it has progressed every year since then. The gifts have become more elaborate, the quantity has increased, the price more expensive. But do they really appreciate the work that I put into this every year?
I’m so stressed out this year that I want to forgo the gifts altogether and just make memories. But how do you transition a family that is used to receiving things? How do you show them that though they might be fun, things don’t really matter anymore? It’s the experiences and memories that we can have together. But can we learn to embrace it?
Have you made the move to memories versus stuff? I would love to hear some tips on how you have transitioned your family to accept that we really don’t need that much. We can live with a lot less than what we have, and the things just don’t matter anymore. I won’t stop trying to think of meaningful gifts overnight. But maybe I can start putting less emphasis on the types of gifts I am giving, and take away some of the anxiety that I am feeling this Christmas season.
Steph Hightree is a hot mess mom who is fueled by stress and too much caffeine. She is a Three Rivers native who talks about the good, the bad, and well, everything else about parenthood.
Any views or opinions expressed in “#MomLife” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.
