This year is going to be scaled way back in the gift department. Ben's new job (yes, he got the one he interviewed for) hasn't paid him his first cheque yet, and of course since he filed his EI saying he was employed, he doesn't get any more EI cheques. Go figure. So we're outta luck for Christmas.
Having said that, I did get Delilah a few things, a month or two ago. We bought her barely anything last year, but she got lots of stuff from other people. This year, she'll be getting 3 gifts from us, 4 if I find her a book tomorrow. We don't see the point in giving her tons of things, and nothing will be from Santa. We have our own traditions and will be making some up as we go along. One we started last year (her first Yule/Christmas) is a tree ornament. It is given to her on Yule (and I think we will add a book to that tradition) and will be added to our tree. When she is old enough to have her own tree, we will give her a box filled with all the ornaments given to her over the years.
This year I learned about the Christmas Tree Spider tradition. Taken from the Etsy shop article:
The Christmas Spider Legend
A long time ago in Germany, while a mother was busily cleaning house in preparation for Christmas, the spiders that usually stayed in the living room corner fled upstairs to the attic to escape from her broom. From the attic they could hear all the excitement from the living room as decorations were being made for when Santa was to come on Christmas Eve and bring gifts for the children. Frantic to see the decorated tree, the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a view. Oh, what a beautiful tree! In their excitement, they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed all through the tree to see the glittering beauty. But alas! By the time they were through climbing all over the tree, it was completely shrouded in their dusty-gray spiderweb. When Santa came, he smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were. However, He knew how heart-broken the mother would be if she saw the tree covered with the dusty webs. So He reached out and touched the webs, blessing them and turning them to silver and gold. Thus, the custom to have a spider ornament amongst all other decorations with tinsel of gold and silver on the Christmas tree was born.
Pretty cool, huh? We got her an awesome handmade Spider Ornament from Etsy. That's gonna be hard to beat.
I'm curious as to what people's opinions are on the whole Santa myth. I mean, I like the sentiment of a magical elf who embodies the meaning of Christmas and all that, but....really? Why tell your kids lies? Why not give them the best presents and claim credit for it? Why not continue the trusting relationship you try to foster from the beginning, rather than have to explain to them why you LIED for years?
People look at us funny when we say we "don't do Santa". And they say, "but what will you tell her when all the other kids are talking about Santa? And when you see Santa in the mall, and the Santa Claus parade-you took her to that!!!" It's pretty amusing, actually. It's not like we're going to pretend that the Santa Claus myth doesn't exist...we're just not going to tell her that he's REAL, and that he's coming down the chimney on Christmas Eve to leave great toys under the tree for her. Instead, we'll tell her that there are people all over the world who tell their children that Santa is real, and that she shouldn't argue with anyone about his existence. It's a lot like religious myths, actually. Strange, that.
1 comment:
I find Santa pretty easy too. I've always told them that he's the spirit of giving and doesn't really come just once a year! If you give some one something out of generosity and don't expect something in return, you are embodying Santa. Tada! ;)
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