Monday, January 7, 2013

Christmas: A time to lower expectations.

I love Christmas.  I cry every year when the break is over.  I love spending time with my family and watching my kids' eyes light up with joy and all that.  So don't get me wrong here.
But, this year we went with the whole "we are not going overboard on crap, and these kids can just get over themselves" approach.  And I still stand by my philosophy that it was good for them.  
(The grandparents more than made up for our general apathy this year, obviously).
Santa brought Mia an ant farm and Bode an over-the-door basketball goal.  And at the last minute I unwrapped the Lego Creationary game that Andy and I had planned to give them just to beef it up a bit.
Mia took one look at her ant farm and got a look on her face that said, "What did I do to deserve this."  In my defense, the kid is impossible to buy for and Bode told her that I bought her a book light at the store (the one thing she asked for from Santa) so that was blown.  Anyway, "meh" was the theme of the morning.
And then all the Lashley ladies went to Inspirations Tea Room for lunch and I started running my mouth about how Andy and I had to search high and low to find that silly Creationary game without thinking a thing about what I was saying, which happens to be the story of my life.  (When will I learn?)  
And there sat Mia with big tears rolling down her face.  She leaned over and whispered to me, "But Mama, Santa brought us that game."
And there was no way to recover.  I had blown the whole Santa thing without even realizing it.  In a way I was kind of relieved that at least she didn't think Santa was a jerk.  She knows we are and she's used to that.  
So then she asked if she could return her ant farm.  I said no, only because I bought it on Amazon and didn't save the paperwork.  
And just like that I shattered my daughters dreams.
Bode's still picking his nose and playing secret hideout in my shower so I think we still have a few more years of the Santa game with him.
And then Andy and I went away on our traditional New Years getaway to Dallas.  When we were halfway there Andy decided to tell me that he had a fever but not to worry, he wasn't really sick at all, it was just a fluke.
Of course he didn't pack so much as a single Tylenol.  Which would have been fine for a person who wasn't actually sick.  He went to bed at the hotel and didn't get up until 4:00 PM the next day.
And not to be outdone, my parents ended up having to take Bode to the ER in the middle of the night.  I am happy to report that this is Bode's personal record for meeting our deductible - 20 minutes into the new year.  Way to go, son!
Perhaps my kids were a little underwhelmed by their gifts from us this year.  But we spent hours together playing games, laughing, snuggling, and drinking hot chocolate with more marshmallows than cocoa in the cups.  And that is exactly why I loved every minute of it.

6 comments:

Ryan and Katie said...

So funny, only because it didn't happen to me and because you are looking back on it and not going through it, right?! I don't think you are alone in the fact that nothing goes according to plans when it comes to holidays, time with family, gifts, or vacations!

Catherine said...

Oh man. I live in fear EVERY YEAR of blowing the Santa thing in a similar manner. For months and months after Xmas I have to mentally rehearse and remind myself about what Santa got them so that when I say, "Those are some great ____, right?" I remember to follow it with, "Santa sure knows what to get, doesn't he?" Instead of, "Yeah, I was really glad to find that." But it drives Tim nuts that E. still doesn't know. He thinks it's messed up for a kid past 6 to not know. He thinks it's messed up to "lie" to the young-uns in the first place. So he's already planning how he can make sure the child finds out no later than July 4th. Maybe you and I should just take all 4 kids to Inspirations this summer and get it over with. :-) Truly, I'm sorry it happened that way. But at least now she can be part of the other side of the fun... She can get in on "being" Santa. And that's really more fun to me. Still... not looking forward to making sure E. finds out in the next few months.
AND.... uummm... helloooo? WHY did the boy have to be taken to the ER?

Verna said...

I think my kids weren't super impressed with Santa this year either. They do have 3 sets of grandparents that get more than carried away though, so I don't really feel that bad.

Michelle said...

My parents got Cooper that lego creationary game, it's no joke.....the guy in the store said sure 4 year olds can handle it.....I beg to differ. But he still has fun with it!

Wa Wa Waughs said...

Wow, I don't know how I missed this awesome post! Too crazy busy. Some Christmas's stink a little but you'll be glad you didn't go overboard. They are learning about having fun with the family. And that really is special. I've seen through the years how many of my kid's friends wish they had it.

Elizabeth Mullins said...

Summer, that summed up our Christmas last year thus us feeling guilty and bought a dog half impulsively then lived miserably for the next 7 weeks until I told Joshua the dog had to be gone by the time I got home from Scotland. In which he did find a home for sweet Bella in Colorado. I was oh so glad we did not do a repeat of last year! Here's to hoping next year is better!