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Christmas Magic

I listened to a stranger tell the story of his first Christmas with his then 8 year old daughter, post divorce. When he first began his story, my initial reaction was "oh geeze, another ugly divorce story where the dude gets screwed over. how cliche." I was presently surprised when his story quickly shifted to his experience of trying to make a magical memory for his daughter.
Photo by Toni Cuenca from Pexels
I was hooked on that story. I listened to every word, eagerly waiting for the next. When he finished telling his story, I shared some thoughts with him. That was the purpose of this meet-up anyhow.

That was a great story. Even though you started off your story about your divorce being ugly, the rest of the story was relatable to so many people, divorced or not. Not having the money to have a big Christmas and not understanding what your children envision Christmas as, is so relatable. 
As he read his story, I thought about this Christmas.

This year I am super broke. I shared with my daughters that I will not be able to buy any Christmas presents and most, if not all, of our activities will have to be free. I am so lucky to have children that are understanding and know how much I love them, without spending money. I do not know how I got so lucky.
Because I am so broke, I had to break "the news" to my 10 year old daughter. You know, "the news" you wait as long as possible to share with your children because you do not want to ruin the magic. Unfortunate and fortunate for me, she already knew. Whew...sort of. I was devastated that she knew, but also thankful that I did not ruin her Christmas.

The pressure we put on ourselves to make a magical Christmas can get a little out of hand. I recently watched a cheesy Christmas movie on Netflix. One of the characters was from medieval times and he was happy getting an orange in his stocking. We have come a long way since then. I see people giving their children a ton of gifts, and expensive ones at that, from Santa. Then there are children that get something affordable and small. This causes incongruencies in the Secret of Santa (SOS).
Photo by Bruce Mars from Pexel
As a society, we rarely take into account how our actions affect others. Providing an extravagant "Santa Christmas" has an impact on other families. Providing an extravagant Christmas as parents has an impact on other families, as well. The magic of Christmas has been distorted to the point of being unrecognizable, even for this young lady of 41. Christmas as a whole is not how I remember it. I keep my children's Christmas as down to earth as I can, but I remember the days of them comparing themselves to others. It's tough as a parent.

Christmas is about connectedness and giving; watching cheesy Christmas movies, singing Christmas carols even if you suck at singing, baking and sharing cookies, and drinking hot cocoa, cider, or toddies. It's about the thought behind your gift giving-showing that you know someone and you care enough to pay attention.

Tis the Season to Unrealistic Expectations!







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