When Your Kids Get Coal, Even With a Tree Full of Presents

I don’t know about you, but around here it takes weeks to prepare for Christmas Day. Often times I’ll purchase things when I see them on sale in October in anticipation for it. With 6 kids, it’s always good to spread out the cost. In our home we usually buy 1 bigger gift, stocking fun, and then a book, a craft or game, and maybe something to wear. At some point in early December I end up taking everything out on my bed to see what I have for everyone. I make piles, to sure my people have relatively similar-sized items, or at least numbers–my 13 year old is obviously getting very different things than my 2 year old. Then, I wrap some stuff up, so it’s not all left to the night before, and jot down some things that we may need to get for whichever child’s pile looks a little scanty.

Are you feeling exhausted just picturing it? Yeah, me too. Now, pile on top of that orchestra concerts, piano recitals, last basketball games of the season, teacher gifts, classroom parties, work parties, friend parties, cookie baking, caroling, and by the time “enjoying the season with my kids” even makes the list I’ve checked out. Now, before you go telling me that my list is too full, I already know. I get it. I’m booked. And at what point did that list include “enjoying the season with my kids” at the end??

I pulled all the things out last night, made the piles, took note of a few things we were missing and packed it all back up. This morning, with new lists of chores to complete I started in on helping my kids ready themselves for school. One of my kids can’t find her shoes. She misplaced them on Tuesday and days later still doesn’t know where they are. I have only halfway checked a few places for her, but want her to find them so she remembers to put them away next time. Another kid had forgotten to do his homework. It was a rough morning. Everyone was slow and pretty much everyone cried on the way to school today, including me. Are we having a Merry Christmas yet???

Driving home, all I could think about was the Grinch. The Grinch stole the presents, but couldn’t steal the Christmas spirit from the Whos. I felt like the Grinch, only I have been so focused on getting presents that I have stolen the Christmas spirit from my kids–a greater crime for sure! I get home, pull out the ingredients to make avalanche bars–if you haven’t eaten them and you don’t have a peanut allergy, they are delicious and SUPER easy to make!!! I will share that recipe with you next week!! I let my 2 year old (almost 3) and 5 year old do most of the work. I give them spoons to lick and will be dropping off some to my school kids with a little “Let’s make Christmas time Merry again! Sorry I’ve been a Grinch!!” card.

I have often fantasized about giving my kids coal for Christmas, but only in moments where they’ve been especially naughty in December. I never could, because, really, Christmas is about giving. I never imagined that I’d be giving them coal by default while I focused all my energy into giving them presents instead of just being present with them. I have learned anew, that the most important gift I can give my people this Christmas is love and that is definitely spelled T-I-M-E.