I Must Have Been a Good Girl This Year

Last week I talked about how I no longer get that excited anticipation for Christmas as I did in childhood, but I still always love the actual day. This year was no exception. Christmas morning I got to watch my two 3 year old nephews tear through wrapping paper as fast as their tiny hands could rip it open and squeal in delight at what they uncovered. My husband and I then got to spend the rest of the day with my family members. It was a day full of good food and lots of laughter.

This year, for the first time in ages, I was really excited about the gifts we had gotten for everyone. We had a little more money than we usually do, so we were able to get some really nice things that we knew our friends and family really wanted. Watching all of them open their gifts was just as thrilling as I had hoped. Everyone was so pleased (and surprised) with what we were able to give them. It felt amazing to be able to give back a little something to the people who give us so much throughout the year.

And then it was my turn.

I must have been a really good girl this year because, let me tell ya, Santa got me some good stuff. I know it’s not supposed to be about what you get from others, but it would be wrong of me not to brag on the things they got me. Right?

As usual my mom went overboard and got me boxes and boxes of fabulous clothes (even after all these years she does most of my clothes shopping). My sister got me some clothes and a super fun Glee bag (pictured above). From my in laws I got a Glee board game, some boots, the entire DVD set of the BBC Robin Hood series, and some other goodies. My dad got me some groovy pajamas and a Kindle (woot woot!).

One of the funnest things I got was from two of my really good friends. They got me a wand, but not just any wand. This wand can be programmed to be a remote control for the TV. With 13 different wand movements I can adjust the volume, change channels, and all kinds of other stuff. How fun is that??

Then there are the gifts from my husband. He outdid himself this year. He got us a two night stay at this really nice bed and breakfast that is on a ranch. Included in this stay are four 2-hour horseback riding sessions. I am beyond excited. I’ve only ridden a horse once and I loved it. Gah! I can’t wait!

But not even that was my favorite gift. My husband also got me a recurve bow and some arrows. I can now live out my fantasy of being Robin Hood (or the bad ass version of Maid Marian from the BBC series).

Thank you for indulging my need to gush over my fantastic Christmas gifts. I am sure that the two gifts from my husband will make for some fun blog posts in the future. Especially when you take into account my extreme klutziness.

What about you? Any especially awesome gifts you got this year? Any other holiday stories you would like to share? Let me know in the comments.

Is Christmas Really Just Meant for Children?

When I look back at the Christmas’ of my childhood I have nothing but good memories. From the weekend of Thanksgiving when we put up the decorations all the way through until Christmas morning, I was filled with excited anticipation of what was to come. When the morning of Christmas finally arrived I felt a joy like no other when I rounded the corner into the living room and saw the stocking overflowing onto the floor and the presents piled so high you couldn’t see the bottom of the tree.

My sister and I would sit together and take turns opening one present at a time in a nice orderly fashion that I, the younger sibling, usually dictated. We would all “Ooo” and “Ahh” over whatever gift had just been revealed until there were no more. It is at this point that I remember sitting surrounded by new toys and just staring at them in overwhelmed awe that all of that could really be mine.

The rest of the day would be filled with more family and some of the most delicious food imaginable cooked by my Aunt. By the time I made it to bed I was always exhausted from the full day of fun and went to sleep with a huge smile on my face. I loved Christmas.

Somewhere along the line that excited expectation was lost, forgotten.

I still love Christmas. I love the time with family, the food, and, yes, the gifts; but it is different now. Now that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is busy and full of stress. Now  Christmas Eve and Christmas day are hectic as my husband and I try to fit time with both of our families in. The first few years of marriage it was not uncommon for us to get into a few arguments as we each wanted to hold on to our own family traditions.

Eventually my husband and I figured out a system that alleviated much of the stress – well, at least the stress about who we saw when. But even this did not make that anticipation return.

I remember when I used to listen to Christmas music practically nonstop and I wanted to watch all my favorite Christmas movies. Now, I will think about playing some of that music or popping in one of those movies and I find I am just not in the mood. For some reason, that internal “thing” that used to make it feel like Christmas is gone. Again, it’s not that I don’t enjoy Christmas, but it is nothing like what it was while growing up.

Last year, though, I had a glimpse of that old joy again.

My two nephews (on my husband’s side) had just turned two years old and boy were they excited for Christmas. Getting to see the joy and anticipation on their faces that I used to feel caused me to feel some of it myself. We all had so much fun setting everything up on Christmas Eve (see the picture above) so that it would be ready for them when they woke up in the morning. When morning finally came the expressions on their faces were more than we could have ever imagined.

Now my sister has a little boy. He is only six months old this year, but the thought of watching his Christmas joy in the years to come already makes me break into a huge smile.

Is this it? Is it that Christmas really is for children? I am sure the answer to these questions is different for everyone. I know plenty of adults who seem to have natural Christmas joy even without children around, so maybe it is just for me. I simply do not have the answers yet, but I think I am getting closer and I truly believe that I will be able to find it again. Maybe when I have children of my own. Only time will tell.

What about you? Do you get the same excited anticipation you did in childhood? Where do you find your Christmas joy or has it gone missing from your life, too? Let me know in the comments.

Myth or Reality: A Woman Who Doesn’t Like to Shop

We all know the stereotype. Women love to shop and spend all their (and their husband’s) hard earned money on clothes and shoes. Most of the women I know are much better at managing their money than the stereotype proclaims, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t love to shop and wish that they could go out and spend, spend, spend. What’s more, most of the women I know have had this fondness for shopping since childhood. So is the stereotype true? Is the woman who hates to shop a myth?

Nope. She exists. In fact, I am her.

Ever since I was a child I have hated to shop. Don’t get me wrong, I love to get new things, I just hate to shop for them. When I was in middle and high school – the age most girls want to start shopping for their own clothes – I used to beg my mom to go shopping without me and just let me try on the clothes she brought home. Crazy, right? Thankfully, I was blessed with a mother who has excellent taste and knows what is in fashion.

As I have gotten older and been forced to do shopping on my own it is always a gamble whether it will go well or invoke major anxiety leading to a short temper. There are certain stores I have just learned to stay away from. For example, Ross. I can not shop in that store. One time, I thought that I would give it a try since I kept hearing about all the good deals one could get there. I walked in, took one look at the chaotic order of the place, turned around and walked back out barely able to breath.

As you can imagine, Christmas is a difficult time for one who hates to shop. Especially one in whom shopping, crowds, and chaos cause extreme anxiety. The thing is, I absolutely love giving people gifts for Christmas. It is so much fun to know that you have found something that someone you care about will be excited about and then watching their joy as they open it. It is one of the best parts about Christmas. It also very nearly gives me panic attacks.

My poor husband. He is such a trooper. We went out last Saturday to get as much of our Christmas shopping done as possible. The closer we got to the stores we were going to shop in, though, the shorter my breath got…and my temper. I very quickly turned into the Grinch. I had no idea what to get anyone and every idea I had seemed lame. Eddie, being the patient man he is, never got mad at me as I snapped at him at the slightest provocation. He continued to come up with ideas and give me opinions when I needed them.

Eventually we found our first gift. It was something for my sister and it was perfect. I started to get excited. After that we found another gift, and another, and another. With each new gift I grew giddy with excitement. Of course, we didn’t have time to get it all done in that one day, but we got a good start. My Christmas shopping anxiety is gone. At least until we head back out. But at least I have a husband gifted with the patience to deal with me.

What about you? Do you enjoy shopping or do you hate it? What about during the holidays when people are crazed maniacs? Any funny shopping stories? Let me know in the comments.