'Tis the Season

So today was the day when I pull all the bags out of the closet and see what I have accumulated for Hanukkah gifts. I spend months just buying everything in sight—anything that catches my eye—and then a couple of weeks before Hanukkah, I survey what I've got. Usually I have way too much stuff for Pete, because he's so easy to buy for. This year? Not so much. Only six gifts, plus one that I no longer think will interest him (a set of knights I bought when he was into knights). Julie has just about enough stuff for eight nights. Stephanie is trickier, because her birthday also has to be taken into consideration; yes, she's getting her ears pierced, but I want to give her a couple of other things as well. So now I have big bags of items to be returned to Costco, Learning Express, Target, and the like—things I bought in the last month or two (or three) that  don't seem right anymore. I like to give the kids a big gift on the first and last nights of Hanukkah, a gift that all will share on another night (which is getting harder and harder—this year I think it will be two or three board games), a gift that is the same for each of them for another night (also getting tricky—this year it's three mini Tamagotchis and three  light-up toothbrushes), and the other four nights something small to medium. Plus I have to buy gifts for them that are really "from" Andy's parents—we've discovered that that works out best (and they get their smallest gifts from us on the night that those are presented). I'm very glad I don't have to think about Stephanie's birthday party until January. We discovered years ago that that's the way to go.

Comments

[Kathy]

I am doing the same thing this year for Hannah's birthday (Dec. 2) we are having a movie sleep-over party some time in January.