The Holidays
The holidays are my favorite time of year, the family gatherings, the home cooked tamales, the make-shift dance floor in the middle of the living room. It’s all a complete blast and I look forward to it every year! Oh and the shopping…
I’m the type of girl who starts shopping for Christmas gifts in October for a couple of reasons. One, I like to make sure I get the items I would like to buy before they go out of stock. Two, it’s financially easier to spread the Christmas expense over three months instead of one. I especially love to purchase gifts for the children in my life. It is through their excitement of tearing wrapping paper; opening boxes and watching the smiles on their faces that is truly enjoyable to me. Whoever said that giving is better than receiving was absolutely right!
This past weekend, I asked my nephew, 9, and niece, 7, to write me their Christmas wish list. I made sure that I emphasized the word “wish” and was truly surprised with what they came up with. My nephew said he would like a football, air pump and a Lakers Championship Ring. He quickly scratched out the championship ring when he realized that I would need to play in the NBA to get him one. My niece wrote down one item, a pillow pet. I asked them if that was all they wanted for Christmas and they both said “yes”. I asked them “are you sure”, and my nephew replied, “we already have everything we want”, in a very matter of fact way.
It turns out that the fun part to kids is the same for the adults; having fun, laughing and spending quality time together and not necessarily the stuff. In an effort to make things really great and spectacular, I forgot that it’s truly the interaction with your family that you remember and are happy about it and not necessarily the shiny electronics. When I think back on my childhood holidays, I think my favorite and funniest moment was when my uncle and I were dancing to “la tambora” and knocked over the Christmas tree. That was awesome! I’m glad that my niece and nephew reminded me of that.
