Written on January 6, 2011 at 9:58 p.m.
On New Year's Eve, I found myself shopping the Christmas clearance section at Target. I just happened to hit the store at the right time as everything was 75% off. I didn't really have time to be shopping. The main reason I was at Target at 3:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve was to fill three prescriptions before the new year because we had met our deductible much earlier in the year due to the birth of Sophia. If I had waited one more day, I would have ended up paying $168 out of pocket for two Epi-Pens for Annabelle versus the $15.65 I ended up paying.
I found some great steals at 75% off including two Christmas books: The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear (actually Annabelle found that one) and The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. I scanned both items and found that the Berenstain Bears book was only $1 (regularly $3.99) and the Glenn Beck book was only $4.50 (regularly $17.99). Sold!
I started packing both books away this evening. I read a few pages of The Christmas Sweater while at Target before I purchased it, but I decided to sit down and read it this evening. It brought tears to my eyes! If you haven't read it, it is a fantastic story for a young child who is bombarded with toys at Christmas. I actually cannot wait to read it to Annabelle, but I think I will hold off and wrap it up for her to open next year shortly after Thanksgiving.
Just a few short weeks after Christmas, the new toys have already lost all of their charm and Annabelle has yet again resorted to playing with everyday items for toys. The trim to the blinds in Sophia's room that hubby says to toss was transformed into a snake this afternoon with my cell phone as the rider. The crayons and baby food jars become people and magically talk. Sophia also already bypasses all of her new toys for more interesting things such as a bag of baking potatoes or an empty gift bag. Yet the clutter in my house is mostly toys, including a lot of unopened toys.
I bargain shopped (as usual) this Christmas, and I found some awesome deals. We packed everything away in storage and brought it home to wrap just a few days before Christmas. I was determined that this year my children would receive more from me and Santa than anyone else. Of course as we were preparing for Santa late on Christmas Eve and way too early on Christmas morning, I decided that she didn't need all of these toys at once, so we packed them away until a later date.
And yet again I realize, especially after reading The Christmas Sweater, that less is actually more. Because you see, the less clutter (i.e. toys) that fills my house equates to more quality time with my children doing the things we love such as reading, baking, cooking, laughing and learning.
I think the best Christmas gift to my children next year will be less toys, less stress, more quality time, more laughing, and more focusing on the true meaning of Christmas.
In the mean time, I need to find a way to rid ourselves quickly of the excessive amount of toys cluttering this house, our shed, and storage unit.
2 years ago
2 comments:
Reminds me of last year when my little Amish friend from Ohio said her oldest child, who is a little younger than Annabelle, would be getting an old-fashioned potato masher for her present for Christmas. Of course, that set me on the journey of finding one for Annabelle's kitchen. What a difficult task just trying to find that potato masher, but I did after grabbing one up from the Salvation Army store. Seems there were some older people who were also looking for one, but I grabbed it first! Now the Dollar Trees are loaded with them. Who knew what a trend could be set by one little Amish girl's Christmas present. I'll bet she was thrilled to death by that potato masher. At least they live a simplier, much less cluttered life than we do. And, little Emily was able to use that potato masher helping her Mommy cook some good meals. Who knows,Mommy probably took over the potato masher for her own kitchen. I'm just guessing.
I assume The Christmas Sweater you bought was the child's version. I had intended to get her that book for Christmas, but I didn't find it in the stores this year. I think she'll really like that now that she's older.
I didn't know Glenn Beck authored a children's book - awesome! I'll need to check that out. I agree with you on the 'having too much stuff' issue. It's so easy to get a vast accumulation of things throughout the year, but especially at Christmas and birthdays. Hubby's sisters have put their foot down with my in-laws and told them enough is enough - the kids don't need to be bombarded with tons of toys. A few good ones will do. As well-meaning as grandparents can be, their buying power can get out of hand sometimes. lol Your post reminded me of an episode I recently watched of "American Pickers" (on History channel - have you seen it?) It's about these two guys that go "treasure hunting" for antiques that many of us view as junk. They resell everything they buy for a profit - sometimes in the thousands. Anyhow, they hoped to buy the personal childhood toys of this one lady (who was probably in her late 70s) but the lady told them she didn't have ANY toys growing up! She said that they would make toys of their own out of household things, including aluminum foil (like figurines and stuff). It's hard to believe, but it's sorta cool at the same time.
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