grown-up christmas wake up call

I love Christmas! And now that I've nearly finished getting presents I can really start to enjoy it!

This is the first year I've been on my own (with Tommy, of course) to get gifts for everyone. I didn't relize how expensive it is and it's making me feel less and less warm and fuzzy about the ever-growing commercial side of Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends and family and want to give them gifts they'll enjoy because they certainly deserve it, but buying everything all in one month really adds up! And I didn't even get big gifts! I miss the days that my name was put on whatever my parents bought...

Now that I know what an expensive holiday Christmas is I finally appreciate all the lovely gifts I've gotten over the years. I mean, I had over 150 Barbie dolls, not counting Kens, Skippers, Kellys, and an extremely fit grandma doll! That's a lot of money, people! My parents are teachers so we didn't always have a ton of money to spend on toys, but my brother and I never went without. Now I truly appreciate the sacrifices they made to give us an amazing Christmas every single year. I also feel like a total jerk for the times little kid Bethany pitched a fit about over not getting some rinky-dink toy I thought I needed. What a brat!

I think next year I'll try to make more personal gifts instead of buying a bunch of things because what I wanted to get the person was sold out. Also, it really puts a damper on the season when I have to constantly check out bank account to be sure we haven't overdrawn it while trying to cross everyone off our list. Thanks to Pinterest I now have tons of really adorable gift ideas! But don't peek at my boards because I want you to think my ideas are original!

I still have two more gifts to make, but they're pretty easy to do so I should be able to knock them out in a few hours. Then I will finally, finally be finished! Through all this hussle and bussle I try to keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas and remember that it is a time to spread joy and goodwill to others so that I don't turn into a Grinch. I think Linus says it best:

"And that's what Christmas is all about, Bethany."