I vowed to go simple this year. Last year the kids were spoilt rotten by us, by Santa and by our families and they went a tiny bit feral. It felt like they were opening presents, every hour, on the hour, for three weeks straight. With Pop’s birthday just a few days before Christmas, it was excessive. And I don’t think they really appreciated anything because it was so overwhelming.
So this year I promised I’d cut right down on gifts so they’d be able to appreciate the things they were given instead of drowning in toys. I wanted to stick to the rule: “one thing you want, one thing you need, something to wear and something to read.”