The Christmas list. A list of toys and other things our kids want for Christmas, some of them easily attainable and reasonable, and some of them completely unattainable and unreasonable. Each year, my daughter makes a list of her top five wants and the list goes to Santa. The rest of the items are for mom, dad and other family members to fulfill. But every year, Santa misses at least one of her items for one reason or another.
There was the time three years ago when she asked for Build-A-Bear clothes for her bear. Santa didn’t bring them. Maybe he had already spent too much money on other things that weren’t Build-A-Bear clothes, or maybe his sleigh was too heavy and he just couldn’t fit any more into his bag. Whatever the reason, we heard about it. We heard about it for a whole year. So, the following year, Santa made good and he brought the Build-A-Bear clothes, but something was missing. It just wasn’t the same.
Last year there was a Barbie Dream House on the list. Santa didn’t bring it. He thought it was too much money to spend on a cheaply constructed, plastic, Made in China, ostentatious house for Barbies. I mean really, what makes the Dream House cost close to $200? Could it be the plastic elevator, the dog bed, or maybe the toilet? Whatever it is, the Barbie Dream House has once again landed at the top of my daughter’s Christmas list, and here we are again, the same old conundrum.
To help me with my “problem”, I turned to the one person who could make me look at things with perspective – my mom. She made me see things in a different light, and she reminded me that every year there was probably something on my list that I never got for Christmas. She was right, it was Barbie’s Malibu Beach House, and it was on my list for several years in a row, yet Santa never brought it {he thought it was too much money for a cheaply constructed, plastic, Made in China house for Barbies}. So, my Barbie’s ended up living in houses made from cardboard boxes {awesome, imaginative, creative houses, I might add} with blow up furniture and hand stitched blankets.
My mom told me that could Santa do it over again, he would just bring the items from my list, whatever they may be. Because Santa ended up spending the same amount of money on other items he felt were “better suited” for me and my sisters, yet didn’t bring the same joy. And isn’t Christmas about bringing joy? The way their faces light up when they see that Santa listened? Because my daughter doesn’t look at the Barbie Dream House as a cheaply constructed, plastic, Made in China toy; in her eyes, the Barbie Dream House is the coolest, most awesome, amazing, house for her Barbies.
As a parent, I sometimes lose focus. I may not have gotten what I wanted for Christmas every year, but I also remember what that felt like. I turned out just fine, maybe better for it, as will my daughter, but if I can, shouldn’t I give her that little bit of joy while this time is still magical? I think Santa may have to suck it up this year and drop a Barbie Dream House down our chimney.
Do you struggle with the items your kids have on their Christmas list? Do you indulge and get them everything they want, or do you leave some items off? How far would you go/have you gone to get an item on your child’s list?
