And so it begins

Dec 21, 2006

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Big is gently sobbing herself to sleep right now. Today was the Christmas party at school, and then I picked them up early and took them back to my office so that I could do the lockup. That all went very well, but unusually, neither of them fell asleep in the car on the way home. Instead, Small kicked me all the way down the M1, which really cheered me up, and then once we got home neither of them wanted to go to bed.

Instead, they played with their Christmas presents as mentioned below. Except Small’s guitar broke – he wasn’t doing anything other than playing it and it just stopped working. He took it reasonably well, but I’m assuming we’re going to have to replace it. I’d rather get him something half decent, but I’m not sure what to get – any suggestions? I did wonder about a child guitar or uke as I understand they are being used in some schools as starter instruments – anyone know anything about that?

Then eventually, I tired of it all and chased them to bed. Things went from bad to worse, and to cut a long story short, Big ended up crying in bed. Made me feel great 🙁

I just love Christmas. Not. Well, to be fair, it isn’t Christmas I have a problem with. It’s the orgy of commercialism it’s become – if it was about spending time and care making or finding just the right little present for each person, I’d still be stressed because I’m monumentally disorganised ;), but at least I wouldn’t be feeling guilty about the planet being destroyed at the same time.

Bleargh.

Half a day to go, and then it’s well into the swing of things. I can do this.

It’s where it is

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Comments

15 responses to “And so it begins”

Merry
21 December 2006
I’m loving the fact that i’ve helped my kids make all our family presents this year and that the stuff they are getting is good quality rather than huge quantity.
And i’m monumentally happy to have Max off for 2 weeks now, makes it all so lovely 🙂
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t-bird
21 December 2006
Maybe next October we could remind each other to start knitting/crocheting/generally making???
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Jonathan
22 December 2006
A matchbox, a ruler and some rubberbands 😛
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Sarah, Dino and Mimi
22 December 2006
October? How about January?
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Nic
22 December 2006
oranges and a piece of knotted string!
The Works were doing some lovely wooden small sized instruments including a guitar, but I glimpsed them once and they were all sold out the next time I looked.
I reckon Christmas is what you make of it to a large extent. This year we seem to have acquired a lot for not a lot. Charity shops, car boot sales and ebay have taken care of getting the children what it is they would like but as it’s all second hand and therefore reycled it is cheap, without loads of packaging and probably about as environmentally friendly as we’re ever likely to get. 🙂
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HelenHaricot
22 December 2006
hmm, well, i think christmas is different for different families. I am going to try and get at least a few days before xmas off work whenever I can, cos then we do things ike baking and crafts as a run up. my house is a mess, my mum due in 15 mins, and I’m sure she will be horrified by house. But, TBH, we have had a great runup.
for presents, from nov I tend to look for bits on ebay or wherever and hoard them. though next year in nov as a pre BB birthday, I am going to try and get SB to think of what she might like – and have a one present of their choosing rule – so she knows i will choose the rest, so is hopefully thoughtful about what it is [i have got the hair braider]
but… if you don’t want it to be commercial, just don’t have it. say as a family that others can buy loads of pressies, but you are going to concentrate on the day and a little something as a time to be together. for me as an adult, the presents are irrelevant. as a child we were usually given our next years clothes for xmas and perhaps one ‘big’ present and some tiny things. I can’t remember being anything other than happy.
I guess this long meander is to say, why not think what you might actually enjoy, and then talk it through with tim, and if an agreement on roughly what it is, then talk it through with Big. Maybe what you would all like is to take a campervan for 4 days around somewhere with walking on the beach and ‘fun food’ and fun games and no computer/laptop or distractions?
maybe you want 4 days in centreparks?
or perhaps you do want all the trimmings?
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Jax
22 December 2006
Thanks for the tip Nic, there was a guitar on the wall in our Works this aft, so think Tim might pop back tomorrow and see if there are any left.
Helen, I’m pondering, and may well blog a response to your comments. It isn’t our commercialisation of it within our little family that really bothers me, it’s mainly my relatives. Just agonising on what I want to say in a public place iyswim.
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HelenHaricot
23 December 2006
Jax, I didn’t think it was your nuclear family that was commercialised – i hope it didn’t come across that way.
I guess my whole family frugal with the presents, [and in fact think I am way over the top for buying bits off and on throughout the year]so I don’t have to consider the wider family there.
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Jax
23 December 2006
No, you didn’t come across that way Helen, I was afraid I had. My parents are popping around this morning to drop off the first instalment – mother rang last night as she’s desperate to give them their new outfits for Christmas day. Dunno what I’m going to do with the new outfits I’d bought them 🙁
Part of my problem is that it feels like I can’t give them anything as they are already so overloaded by everyone else, and *I* want to be able to give them thoughtful presents. Incredibly selfish of me I know!
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t-bird
23 December 2006
Jax, I *rely* on everyone else to give Aprilia stuff leaving me with just 1 “big” pressie and then an orgy of books and so on (assuming they arrive from Amazon before we leave for my mother’s that is….)
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Jax
23 December 2006
Hope your books arrive(d).
Your way is probably a good way. But it’s not the way I want to go 🙁
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Sarah
23 December 2006
oh Jax, I know exactly what you mean about the selfish bit – I agree, if everyone else gives so much that there’s nothing left for you to give then it feels a bit deflating somehow, I can quite see your point.
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Jo
23 December 2006
We’re having a un-commercialised and un-materialistic Christmas this year, which Olivia is really up for. Adam, admittedly, completely freaked….
We told Olivia’s Nan, who loved the idea, and although she’s got a few little things, her main present from Nan and Grandad is a vegetable plot for a family in Bangladesh, courtesy of Cafod.
Olivia opened the card today and is quite excited about it, in the new year she wants to do a project and learn all about Bangladesh.
The gift that keeps on giving!!!
Am all overcome about caring daughter…. just need to work on son now….
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Em
26 December 2006
A bit late now…but we got my girls that guitar from The Works as well as various assorted purcussion instruments that are really good. They seem to love them all. I wonder if you got them….
Hope you got through the bulk of it all ok, I’m not a christmas lover either for the very reasons you say…E said to me on christmas day (they’d already had one christmas with their dad)…”but we got more presents at daddy’s”. humph.
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Jax
26 December 2006
We didn’t get it….yet 😉
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