Well, the Christmas season is upon us, and like most parents out there, I've received about 120 toy catalogues in the mail. And I've looked through all of them...about 10 times. I've considered what I'd like the children to have, what I think they'd absolutely love, what I think I'd absolutely hate, and everything in between. And then I get disappointed in myself. Why do I do this to myself? The pictures of kids enjoying these toys in the catalogues is so intriguing, but I know in my heart that toys actually provide about 10 minutes of entertainment at a time. Or at least that's the span we get in my A.D.D. household. But even more than that...why do I feel the pressure to spend a billion dollars on toys when my kids have everything they could possibly need or want and there are children out there with nothing at all. Anna is so into art these days. She can plow through a pad of paper in about an hour. (Kids don't care about the environment.) I could give her a stack of spiral notebooks and a mega pack of PostIt Notes, and she would be as happy as a lark. Of course...I'd end up with 1000 pink, yellow and green squares with the names of her classmates on them stuck to everything in the house and about 50,000 "books" with her stories/illustrations in them all over the place. More cleaning? No thanks. And Alex? Please. That kid would be happy playing with a banana peel...though I'm pretty sure that gift might not last longer than a day before it turned black and started to smell. Back to the drawing board for him also...
Last year, we (along with some of our friends) adopted three Ugandan children. $100 sends a child to school for an entire year. Seriously?!? What are we in America doing wrong with our money?? So, we will be doing that again this year as well as contributing to the Salvation Army Angel Tree. I want my children to know that the REAL meaning of Christmas is not about gifts and toys. It's not even about giving to others. It's about the birth of Jesus. But if our society insists on using this time of year to help others, then I'm all for it. And I want my kids to grow up in a home where giving isn't a chore but rather a pleasure. It's something that we cheerfully do.
Don't get me wrong...the Kizzire children WILL be visited by Santa. I like Santa. And I enjoy the childlike "magic" of Christmas. But now that my daughter is getting older, she's able to understand other things too. I'm looking forward to this year and sharing with her the joy of giving to others. Because it is a joy and a privilege to share what we have been blessed with with others.
I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!
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