Day 195: Practical Christmas
Well no its not even December yet STILL but most of my presents have been wrapped for a good few weeks now and are making me happy in shiny packages under the stairs. Crashing the car into a bollard was not the wisest thing to do in November - a month before Christmas - but being resourceful means Christmas can still go ahead!
I'm finally thankful to my parents for being brought up with very practical Christmas'. When I was younger I didn't know of anything different and I never understood that there were children that would write a list and actually get something off it. When I was well into being a teenager I do remember being slightly surprised at my mum who would happily wrap up half used sellotape and random items from around the house for our stockings... and one Christmas she took my brothers lynx shower gel (which he'd actually bought himself and was half used) out of the shower and wrapped it up for him. He was annoyed for a few days that he couldnt find it anywhere before opening his stocking on Christmas morning!
So I feel confident that not buying a billion toys is not going to harm my children's enjoyment of Christmas and I am so very proud of them anyway that they haven't even asked for anything of the sort. Not that I'd really dare do this outside of the close family, but reusing and mending and wrapping old things is a perfectly brilliant idea. Last year I was actually genuinely excited when Joel had welded my old GHDs together. They'd been broken and in 'the broken things draw' for about 4 years. He welded them as best as he could and presented them in a recycled envelope box and I was actually excited. They're very rickety now and almost ready for the bin BUT thats a whole year of using them that Ive been able to get out of a resourceful activity. Our kids are mad about climbing at the moment and want climbing shoes. They cost about £30 - which as any parent will know is a LOT to spend on a childs shoe when they need that much spending on their school shoes as well as needing plimsoles, trainers, play shoes, ballet and tap shoes which all need to be changed every few months...so as Joel reckons really tight plimsoles are just as good for climbing as anything else I'm happy to wrap up their outgrown £2.50 plimsoles with some climbing chalk and give them those!
Other than that...? Top of my daughters list A4 paper. Yes. Actually true. She is NOT deprived and has plenty of toys and things to do as well as access to the A4 paper supply but that's what she's asking Father Christmas for so if she's good I think she just might get!
I'm finally thankful to my parents for being brought up with very practical Christmas'. When I was younger I didn't know of anything different and I never understood that there were children that would write a list and actually get something off it. When I was well into being a teenager I do remember being slightly surprised at my mum who would happily wrap up half used sellotape and random items from around the house for our stockings... and one Christmas she took my brothers lynx shower gel (which he'd actually bought himself and was half used) out of the shower and wrapped it up for him. He was annoyed for a few days that he couldnt find it anywhere before opening his stocking on Christmas morning!
So I feel confident that not buying a billion toys is not going to harm my children's enjoyment of Christmas and I am so very proud of them anyway that they haven't even asked for anything of the sort. Not that I'd really dare do this outside of the close family, but reusing and mending and wrapping old things is a perfectly brilliant idea. Last year I was actually genuinely excited when Joel had welded my old GHDs together. They'd been broken and in 'the broken things draw' for about 4 years. He welded them as best as he could and presented them in a recycled envelope box and I was actually excited. They're very rickety now and almost ready for the bin BUT thats a whole year of using them that Ive been able to get out of a resourceful activity. Our kids are mad about climbing at the moment and want climbing shoes. They cost about £30 - which as any parent will know is a LOT to spend on a childs shoe when they need that much spending on their school shoes as well as needing plimsoles, trainers, play shoes, ballet and tap shoes which all need to be changed every few months...so as Joel reckons really tight plimsoles are just as good for climbing as anything else I'm happy to wrap up their outgrown £2.50 plimsoles with some climbing chalk and give them those!
Other than that...? Top of my daughters list A4 paper. Yes. Actually true. She is NOT deprived and has plenty of toys and things to do as well as access to the A4 paper supply but that's what she's asking Father Christmas for so if she's good I think she just might get!
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