Simpler Christmas

photo courtesy of Dandee

Well, I finished the last of the Christmas gifts last night at about 2:30am along with Sean. Wow, this has been a busy busy Christmas in terms of homemade present making. I think I mentioned this earlier but we decided this year to try and have a simpler Christmas in terms of presents. In years past, when it came to Christmas, we felt like the best Christmases were ones that we focused not so much on the stuff we got but more on the spirit of the season. It's not that we've had any over indulgent Christmases, it's just that Christmas or rather Christmas shopping tends to make us feel like we want a bunch of stuff and to sort of feel, well, dissatisfied with what we have. It sounds really awful to admit it but seriously, haven't you ever been walking through the mall and looking at all the new nice clothes and the thought occurs to you that you don't really like the clothing you have?

Well, we decided that in light of this busy year and all that we've been blessed with, we should try and have a simpler Christmas. I really really liked this idea by Dandee. Basically, she only gives her kids four gifts--something they need, something they want, something to wear and something to read. Santa brings one other gift also. What a great way to focus on what matters most, not just on materialism!

I had plans to make an outfit for each of the girls (of course from Oliver + S patterns) but I just had too many other homemade gifts to make that happen. So the girls are each getting a homemade gift, books, and a fun toy. We have a few other fun things for their stocking and such but overall, I'm really happy with this Christmas. I think it will help make our Christmas that much more special.

I hope to blog a little about the gifts I made but may not get to it before Christmas---until then, here's a pic of our cuties with Santa at our church Christmas Brunch.