santa asks: what’s on your wish list?

{{sigh}} Sorry, I get it. Our festive season will include having to scrape up about 5K to replace our dishwasher, stove, fridge and 8' sliding patio door, all of which have undergone unfortunate series of events practically simultaneously over the past 2 weeks. (We could actually do without the fridge but since it's only a matter of time, I guess we'll do all the appliances at once.) :sad2:
We have to get a new fridge too. The repair man defrosted it by hand and said the defroster is rusted out, so when the freezer part ices over the fridge part won’t cool. We are on borrowed time. All our appliances used to match (Jenn Air pro style range, cabinet paneled kitchenaid dishwasher and cabinet paneled Amana fridge) but they’ve been dying off piecemeal. So now we have a Bosch stainless dishwasher. We’re going to get a Jenn Air pro style fridge to match the stove. Well at least the badging will match. They changed the handle style a couple of years ago - so aggravating! By the time the old stove dies they’ll probably have changed the handles yet again!
 
That I get this first Christmas with the kids right. I don't love the holiday, but I'm going to do my best. Any advice or things to not forget would be welcome...lol.
OH, amberpi, we’ve got you! Tell Us how old are the kids and if they are boys or girls.
 
I don't get a quote til Monday. HVAC guy told me to get some space heaters. My house is a tiny 800 square feet and surprisingly 2 heaters are sustaining me. I made it through our first snow storm last night. Low of 15 tonight here on the south shore of Lake Superior. If we start getting closer to zero I'm going to have to add a third heater.
Maybe start your holiday baking ( cookies?) that you can put in the freezer. By having the oven going, it will help warm up your rooms.
 
I’m pretty comfortable at the moment with things that I need, so I’m looking forward to getting some genuine surprises on Christmas Day when opening my presents. If I’m honest, I always get more excited about others opening theirs!
 


Santa can keep the gorgeous jewelry and beautiful coats this year. A GLASS GRINDER is what I'd like.. Having a second one would speed things up.
 
Thanks for the sincere offer of help. I’ve ordered the stockings and pjs, a night to see the lights locally, but so I need an advent calendar for instance? Last year dh said he tried. Together we’re trying but lord, it ain’t it easy and they’re small so we’re trying so darn hard. We’ve got an almost 3 year old boy and a 4.5 girl. After stockings and pjs am I forgetting something big? We’re getting them plenty of toys but are we forgetting something for the season that would be great? I just don’t know.

OH, amberpi, we’ve got you! Tell Us how old are the kids and if they are boys or girls.
 
That I get this first Christmas with the kids right. I don't love the holiday, but I'm going to do my best. Any advice or things to not forget would be welcome...lol.

You can start a tradition that you do every year. My kids are older but we still do the same things we did when they were little.
Christmas Eve we bake cookies so we can leave them for Santa. They get to open 2 gifts, an ornament and a new pair of PJs. When they were little we would spend Christmas day in those PJs since we didn't do any traveling or have visitors.
They range from 15 to 20 but they all still get excited about those gifts.
Make sure you track Santa on the Norad site, it helps get them into bed ;)
On Christmas day just enjoy it, there isn't really much you can do that can be wrong, except maybe not having enough batteries LOL
It's such a magical day when you have little ones, I do miss those days.


I don't have have much of a wish list this year, we have some large purchases coming up in the spring so I'm not asking for anything under the tree. However I did get myself some little things I wanted :rolleyes1
 


Noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones so I can block out the sound of the co-worker with the chronic cough/mucus/congestion issues hacking up phlegm gobbers and spitting into his wastepaper basket all day long. It makes me gag just writing that last sentence and thinking about it. I have tried ear plugs and regular ear buds but they are not enough.

OMG. I’m so sorry for you. I would die. I’d seriously have to quit.
 
Thanks for the sincere offer of help. I’ve ordered the stockings and pjs, a night to see the lights locally, but so I need an advent calendar for instance? Last year dh said he tried. Together we’re trying but lord, it ain’t it easy and they’re small so we’re trying so darn hard. We’ve got an almost 3 year old boy and a 4.5 girl. After stockings and pjs am I forgetting something big? We’re getting them plenty of toys but are we forgetting something for the season that would be great? I just don’t know.
My best advice is DO NOT make this a competition with their Mother for who gives them the "best" Christmas. That can be excruciating for kids.
 
You can start a tradition that you do every year. My kids are older but we still do the same things we did when they were little.
Christmas Eve we bake cookies so we can leave them for Santa. They get to open 2 gifts, an ornament and a new pair of PJs. When they were little we would spend Christmas day in those PJs since we didn't do any traveling or have visitors.
They range from 15 to 20 but they all still get excited about those gifts.
Make sure you track Santa on the Norad site, it helps get them into bed ;)
On Christmas day just enjoy it, there isn't really much you can do that can be wrong, except maybe not having enough batteries LOL
It's such a magical day when you have little ones, I do miss those days.

This sounds like a pretty magical christmas to me. We're including some of these traditions now.
 
Thanks for the sincere offer of help. I’ve ordered the stockings and pjs, a night to see the lights locally, but so I need an advent calendar for instance? Last year dh said he tried. Together we’re trying but lord, it ain’t it easy and they’re small so we’re trying so darn hard. We’ve got an almost 3 year old boy and a 4.5 girl. After stockings and pjs am I forgetting something big? We’re getting them plenty of toys but are we forgetting something for the season that would be great? I just don’t know.

My kids are 17 (almost 18, sniff sniff) and 15, and we have only done an Advent calendar once--it was a Lego one and they loved it! It was only a few years ago, so they weren't little.

I agree with starting traditions--watch Christmas movies, go see the lights or to local things, make cookies, let them help decorate the tree, things that they will remember long after the toys are gone. Maybe start buying each of them an ornament every year that goes along with their interests, etc. You could start a tradition of helping someone or doing something for someone else each year--maybe shop for a needy child or family, buy a couple of coats and donate to a coat drive, it could be something small.
 
Mine are grown, but now the grand kids get our traditions.
Eve is always the same meal, pjs, a stuffie (changes to books as they age) and open one present.
We walk around the neighborhood looking at lights on Eve.....they all spend the night if I am hosting (we alternate)

Advent calendars......tsum tsums has been a favorite, we also have done Lego friends and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
 
Thanks for the sincere offer of help. I’ve ordered the stockings and pjs, a night to see the lights locally, but so I need an advent calendar for instance? Last year dh said he tried. Together we’re trying but lord, it ain’t it easy and they’re small so we’re trying so darn hard. We’ve got an almost 3 year old boy and a 4.5 girl. After stockings and pjs am I forgetting something big? We’re getting them plenty of toys but are we forgetting something for the season that would be great? I just don’t know.
The thing that is most important is that you are all together and that’s what they will remember! Relax! Take a breath! Take a family picture in front of the tree every year. They will treasure those later in life. Decorate cookies! Will it be messy? YOU BET! The kids will need to go straight to the bath afterwards. Take pictures of them with their cookies. Maybe make a paper chain out of construction paper and remove a chain each day starting dec 1 to count down to Christmas. Special Christmas mugs that you only use during December for cocoa. Have each child make an ornament every year. Decorate the tree together. Have the kids write a letter to santa. Keep that with the pictures. Our DD is grown now but she LOVES looking at the Christmas photo album that has all the Christmas pictures and pictures of her visiting santa, her letter to santa over the years, making cookies, making snowmen, etc. trust me, they will remember the time spent with you more than they remember “ when I was 4, I got ten presents!”
 
The thing that is most important is that you are all together and that’s what they will remember! Relax! Take a breath! Take a family picture in front of the tree every year. They will treasure those later in life. Decorate cookies! Will it be messy? YOU BET! The kids will need to go straight to the bath afterwards. Take pictures of them with their cookies. Maybe make a paper chain out of construction paper and remove a chain each day starting dec 1 to count down to Christmas. Special Christmas mugs that you only use during December for cocoa. Have each child make an ornament every year. Decorate the tree together. Have the kids write a letter to santa. Keep that with the pictures. Our DD is grown now but she LOVES looking at the Christmas photo album that has all the Christmas pictures and pictures of her visiting santa, her letter to santa over the years, making cookies, making snowmen, etc. trust me, they will remember the time spent with you more than they remember “ when I was 4, I got ten presents!”

Great advice and we do try to spoil them with experiences over things and it seems to be working so far. The boy asked for a trip for his bday (4 days after Christmas) vs. toys and a big party so I felt pretty good about that:) I love all of these ideas though and ones others have mentioned. We've got Nutcracker tickets, plan to take them to see lights, will bake cookies, and will do some kind of ornament thing. Basically, any time we can be with them, it's magical. Those kids are certainly spoiled with love even if I don't do everything exactly right all the time. Or, that's what I tell myself!
 
You can start a tradition that you do every year. My kids are older but we still do the same things we did when they were little.
Christmas Eve we bake cookies so we can leave them for Santa. They get to open 2 gifts, an ornament and a new pair of PJs. When they were little we would spend Christmas day in those PJs since we didn't do any traveling or have visitors.
They range from 15 to 20 but they all still get excited about those gifts.
Make sure you track Santa on the Norad site, it helps get them into bed ;)
On Christmas day just enjoy it, there isn't really much you can do that can be wrong, except maybe not having enough batteries LOL
It's such a magical day when you have little ones, I do miss those days.


I don't have have much of a wish list this year, we have some large purchases coming up in the spring so I'm not asking for anything under the tree. However I did get myself some little things I wanted :rolleyes1

All of this Amber... ESPECIALLY the batteries.
 
All of this Amber... ESPECIALLY the batteries.

When we ordered one of the gifts for the boy, we ordered a ton of batteries, because if that thing needed batteries, what about the dancing unicorn, etc. I'm not going to be the momma who when the kids open their presents they can't play with them. That much I know and I'm still a parenting newb. Hell, I bought batteries in sizes I don't *think* I'll need just to cover us. I mean, who ever said they had too many batteries?
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top