We actually managed to have a quiet Christmas this year.

Squatch drove down Christmas Eve. He got in right as we were sitting down to dinner – Nanny always makes lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner! Little Man was so excited to see his Da! We spent the rest of the evening just relaxing and enjoying time with each other. We left Santa a mug with a K-Cup for coffee and a tray of yummy cookies before we went to bed.

Christmas morning, Little Man woke up. “Mummy, Me Wake! Good Morning! Daddy, Me Wake! Good Morning!” And then we heard the sleigh bells jingle-jangling, and he jumped up, “Santa Claus!!!” and took off running out of the room and down the hallway. Once we got downstairs, he yelled “Lights On Tree!” and started clapping. He was so excited (NOTE: There were no new presents under the tree. I had placed them all out the day before, knowing he wouldn’t know the difference), and ran to see the mug and cookies. He didn’t really care too much for the note Santa left him, but was pleased to see that Santa had eaten some cookies.

Opening presents was fun – he definitely preferred ripping open the tissue paper I used to wrap all the presents from Mummy and Da. It was cute; he pulled off a little piece at a time, handing it to Squatch, taking forever to open the bigger presents from Santa. Little Man got a Brio train set and a box of Mega Bloks from Saint Nick, and a bunch of books from Mummy & Da and Nanny & Papa.

The rest of the morning was spent setting up the train and playing with it. Little Man completely ignored the blocks – his only focus was that train!

We spent the evening at Squatch’s aunt’s home. Oh. My. God. I should not have been so surprised, but I was still taken aback at the sheer number of presents under and around the Christmas tree. They took up half the dang room! I was dreading present time, but was quite relieved to see that Little Man did get a ton of books and one stuffed animal – Pip from T.O.T.S. I was quite relieved to see that the request to NOT get him a ton of stuff was followed. The kid doesn’t need any more dang toys (I’ve hidden most of the ones that are here at Nanny & Papa’s, and he only has had his construction trucks and blocks the past two weeks – it has been heavenly!). Squatch got an air still, and plans on starting to distill…something…this next year. I got a vertical garden that I’ve had my eye on for several years, as well as a seed saving book.

It was so cute to see Little Man playing with his cousins. He’s almost as tall as the 4 year old! There were hugs being given and running around after each other. They all even did a great job sharing their various toys. It was adorable to watch, as Little Man would pal around with the boys for a bit, and then retreat to between the couch and coffee table to play with his trucks. After 5-10 minutes, he would go back and play with his cousins again. I did love to see all the adults’ faces when he would say “please,” “thank you,” or “scoo me!” throughout the night. They were in shock that he had such good manners.

Nanny’s birthday is the 26th, so we again had a quiet day. She opened her presents at breakfast, and then we just relaxed again. It was super cold out, around 20 for the second day in a row, so we did not get out for a walk. But we all had a good time just being together.

You know, these more quiet and relaxed Christmases are what it is all about. The presents and commerciality have nothing to do with the holiday, and add to extra stress. One of Squatch’s aunts texted me the week before, asking for the correct size for a jacket I had on his Amazon list. She mentioned that she would buy him a bunch of books to make up for the price difference between what she spent on him and his cousins. I told her that was nuts, that he would be fine with just the jacket. She responded saying she was just being fair. And I think that is part of the problem.

“I spent $$$ on A, and only $ on B, so I still have to spend $$ to make it even.” Or “I bought XX presents for C, but only X for D, so I have to get a few more to even it out, but then I’ll spend $$$ on D, and only $$ on C, so I have to spend a bit more.” So much stress, and debt, at the holidays for so many people. We kept it simple, going to small businesses for gifts for Squatch’s aunts and uncles, and then I made a bunch of various sugar cookies for his cousins. They all loved their gifts, and it meant more when they heard the stories behind them all. Who needs the latest toy when they get the memories of spending time with their family, or hearing about how they made someone do a happy dance when an order came through?

I hope you all had a happy and healthy Christmas. Keep an eye out next Monday, when I’ll reveal my word of 2021!