An Ordinary Mom's Musings

I want to make Christmas simple, yet meaningful. Yet how do I manage the expectations of a perfect Christmas?

My daughter’s ‘love language’ is gifts. When she receives a physical gift, it makes her feel loved. The more gifts she gets, the more she feels loved. That’s just the way she is made, and I can’t change that. My love language is not gifts, and I struggle with understanding this. How do I balance that with simplifying Christmas gifts and making it more about giving than receiving?

My children had a grandmother whose nickname was ‘Mrs. Claus‘. Grandma Lois LOVED Christmas, and every year, at least half the presents under the tree were from her. But Grandma Lois died a couple of years ago and my children, especially my daughter, have had a hard time ever since. Because Grandma isn’t here anymore and there aren’t as many presents under the tree.

Add to that, we used to live in Alaska. Snow and Christmas were synonymous. Every Christmas was white. Santa was pulled into the city Christmas celebration in an actual sleigh pulled by reindeer. When that has been your Christmas experience, it’s hard to lower your expectations.

I don’t have all the answers.

Heck, I don’t have any of the answers.

I just know that I want my children to grow up to be adults who seek to help and love other people. To realize that having “things” isn’t everything. So each year I’ll keep working and trying to help them understand.