I do too - but I did not cry!I would struggle with this personally
Especially since the gifts I got them were things they needed e.g. soap, shampoo, socks. I just wrap them in big boxes and fancy paper.
I do too - but I did not cry!I would struggle with this personally
For the last few years I have been doing a modified HGP starting in March (Autumn for us). It is not as intense as the HGP that starts in September but it allows me to get my house in shape for Winter. I will do it again this year especially as I missed a lot of the HGP towards the end of the year.I also want to do the HGP continuously through the year.
I lucked out in this department this year. One of the LCs worked the day we had Christmas so I was even in some of the photos.I need to remember to take photos at Christmas both here and at Mum's house.
After we had our first baby I simply told DH's family that Christmas Day was for our family and we would gladly getIt makes me think about why we go everywhere on Christmas Day…..is it for us or for them?
We actually stayed home when we were growing up too. We visited my gma on Christmas Eve and my Nana and Pap lived next door, so we didn't really have to go anywhere.After we had our first baby I simply told DH's family that Christmas Day was for our family and we would gladly get
together with them any other day they wished as long as it aligned with DH's schedule. I said this because for 10 years I saw my sister do Christmas at home, Christmas lunch with at our house, and Christmas dinner at her in-laws. I was not going to do that with my children. I loved that we stayed home all day when we were growing up.
We did this too once we had kids. We would go to my Mum and Dad's on Christmas Eve, spend Christmas at home and to DH family on boxing day. It worked while the kids were young. When the kids got older, early teens they looked forward to spending Christmas Day with their Grandparents so we swapped again.After we had our first baby I simply told DH's family that Christmas Day was for our family and we would gladly get
together with them any other day they wished as long as it aligned with DH's schedule.
DS mentioned that he loves his stocking every year and if he had a choice between only gifts or stockings he would choose stockings. Here we do a Santa sack so the stockings are about the size of a very large pillow case. We can get a lot in them.I like what we did gift wise this year. Minimal. We did only the stocking exchange and not the individual gifts for everyone.
Maybe that one gift could be the gift of time and experience spent with your son? Like a sporting event? Theatre? Movie and lunch? We often do this. The gift is printed on paper and put into a gift box or gift bag. Then we set the time up on the calendar and take our child out to spend time with her.I do too - but I did not cry!
I second this idea. My DD and DSIL do very well for themselves and when they feel they need/want something, they are able to get it. For DD's birthday, I got her crochet classes that we could do together every Sat. AM. For Christmas, I got them a gift certificate for cooking classes at a shop near their home. DD and I have often gotten each other tickets to a musical or concert, and we have dinner before or after. There are lots of options that can tie into their interests or something that might be good to do together.Maybe that one gift could be the gift of time and experience spent with your son? Like a sporting event? Theatre? Movie and lunch? We often do this. The gift is printed on paper and put into a gift box or gift bag. Then we set the time up on the calendar and take our child out to spend time with her.
Of course that is an excellent suggestion. And my DS and I have always enjoyed spending time together. However, DS and DDIL are very work focused and all the plans we have made for activities this past year or so have fallen by the wayside (our annual outlet shopping trip, going to see Book of Mormon, etc. ). Can blame Covid for this too over the past 3 years.Maybe that one gift could be the gift of time and experience spent with your son? L
Oh, this is so disappointing. I can see how this is going to be a really hard adjustment.Of course that is an excellent suggestion. And my DS and I have always enjoyed spending time together. However, DS and DDIL are very work focused and all the plans we have made for activities this past year or so have fallen by the wayside (our annual outlet shopping trip, going to see Book of Mormon, etc. ). Can blame Covid for this too over the past 3 years.
I will just have to adjust my expectations of what the holidays mean to me and what they mean to them
I did this - I bought theatre tickets for February. I found a picture of the production - Into the Woods - online, printed it on a piece of paper with the date, time, and place where we will eat dinner after the performance, rolled it up like a scroll sealed with a gold seal (knew those Hallmark gold crown seals would come in handy one day!), and tucked it in the branches of the tree. No-one noticed it so after all the presents were opened, I said "There's another present hiding in the tree" and Sophia pulled it out and unrolled it. We're all looking forward to it.Maybe that one gift could be the gift of time and experience spent with your son? Like a sporting event? Theatre? Movie and lunch? We often do this. The gift is printed on paper and put into a gift box or gift bag. Then we set the time up on the calendar and take our child out to spend time with her.