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[LilyTiger]

This is sort of random, but every single year I have trouble thinking about what I want for Christmas.  I thought it would be fun for moms with new babies to think about what we want for ourselves (i.e. NOT cute diapers, however adorable they are).  This is also my sneaky way of stealing your ideas for my own list.  :)

Here's mine so far:

Really awesome skin care stuff (all natural and organic... stuff I wouldn't buy for myself normally due to price)

New fun sneakers (Onitsuka Tigers!)

Massage gift certificate

Workout pants

A new couch (not going to happen...)

Feel free to also be less materialistic than me (world peace, anyone?  Someone to do laundry for a week?).

[Veritas Vitae]

Sewing machine for me

I wanted a jogging stroller, but I found a BoB for a really good price on CL and B felt bad because he still gets to do all his normal workouts and I can't, so he just went ahead and bought it.

[CCoello]

I always get so anxious about getting gifts for my husband's family - they never seem like they are good enough. And we get SO MANY presents from them. And they get SO MANY presents for each other. And for my sister-in-law's kids. From each other AND from Santa. Each kid gets >40 presents (I'm not kidding!). I am nervous about bringing my kid into this tradition and also about lying to him about Santa (something I dread but am not sure how to handle without ruining it for my nieces and nephews).

You know what I would like for Christmas? A cease-fire on the gifts. Can't we have a few special meals, some close family time, hugs, lights, cocoa - and not stress out about all the STUFF that we don't need. At least, we don't need it enough to be worth the stress. Each year my husband and I pick something that would improve our lives (a camera, a down comforter, something like that) and buy it as our present to each other.

I guess I just feel like in the past, stuff was precious - people didn't have many things - and so new things were special. But today, in the USA, most of us struggle with having too many things (while there are always a few things we need or want, especially with a new kiddo, most of us have a lot of stuff). What we often don't have enough of is time or relationships that are healthy and meaningful.

So for Christmas, what I would really like, is love, time, and stuff-stress free time with my in-laws, dear friends on the east coast, and with my own family.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Professional photo session

[LilyTiger]

CCoello, I totally agree.  This year both of our families (DH's and mine) decided to do Secret Santa exchanges so everyone has a little something under the tree to open on Christmas morning but no one has to buy more than one gift (other than gifts for spouses, etc.).  It's taken so much pressure off.  I love my family to death, but I hate that every Christmas my sister and I spend precious hours wandering around the stupid mall.  My father has tried for years to enforce the rule in our extended family that the adults do not buy each other presents -- young kids get little gifts, but adults should be content drinking good beer and eating.  My mom always breaks the rule, so we had to compromise on the Secret Santa idea. 

Veritas, I totally need a sewing machine!  My mom has a dinosaur Kenmore that I should just learn how to use.

Sol, yes.  We've wanted to do a photo session, but it's just not in the budget.  :(  I'm going to bribe an amateur photog friend of mine with beer to take some nice pictures of all three of us...  I realized the other day we only have like one single picture of the three of us together.  One of us is always holding the camera.

[iixivboots]

I hate the gift exchange crap, too. We tried to do charity gifts for several years and some people were into it, and some weren't. We still do it for my BIL because his daughter was a preemie so they support March of Dimes. They do Donors Choose for us. Books for their kids.

My SIL is the one who poo-poo'd the charity thing, didn't get us anything and said "I give to my favorite charity: me" Really? So we didn't do gifts with them for awhile and then she sent us something and we felt like we had to send stuff back. When we first started dating their tradition was to get each other something from their amazon wishlist which drove me nuts.

My parents we try to do handmade gifts or something similar. DH's mom is SO hard to by for, we've tried everything but she has tons of stuff and doesn't usually use gift certificates for services. We don't do gifts for DH's dad and stepmom, or my brother (tension/estrangement).

Not sure what we are going to do for each other this year, but there's a tradition I saw on pinterest I really want to start for Lyle, although it's a bit harder at this stage. Christmas is "one thing you want, one thing you need, one thing you wear, one thing you read" and then crap in the stockings. ;) My friend told me something funny, she said the "Santa" gifts were always crappy, because she wanted her kids to know that big things came from them, and then if there was a time where they were in financial hardship, it would be like, oh yeah, Santa brought you a board game like he always does. I don't mind Santa, but we're not religious at all, so the whole thing is kind of whatever. Maybe the Santa gift can be the "one thing you need" or something.

Problem with this want/need/wear/read thing now is what does a baby want? :)

[Sol_y_Paz]

Lily, that happened here too with the pictures and it made me a little sad.  It isn't in our budget either.  I hope you are able to barter for beer.  That is really funny.  

[pennywhistle]

Originally Posted by bootsvalentine 

Not sure what we are going to do for each other this year, but there's a tradition I saw on pinterest I really want to start for Lyle, although it's a bit harder at this stage. Christmas is "one thing you want, one thing you need, one thing you wear, one thing you read" and then crap in the stockings. 

I LOVE that idea!  I am also struggling with christmas presents and traditions.  We can't afford to go crazy with excessive gifts (and I wouldn't want to create that expectation anyway).

As for gifts for myself - I also never know what to ask for!  I love sparkly things - people usually can't go wrong if they pick something that has rhinestones on it 

[Tizzy]

I really want/need a new pair of sheepskin slippers! But I can't wait until Christmas as I'm wearing some that technically wore out two years ago and are duct taped together.
I would also love a new engagement ring as mine got lost a year and a half ago. Neither DH or I really liked it in the first place, it was ridiculously small and simple so I'd kind of like a real one now. But I don't think I should have to ask for that one lol
I'd also like to have a cd player in the truck, it has a tape deck right now. It would greatly improve our long drives with the kids.
Ummmmm oh and another large cast iron dutch oven, maybe one of those large cast riddles that sit on the burner too.


For what it's worth, I just can't lie to my kids about the Santa thing. DH doesn't agree, he wants them to think it's all real but I've always told the kids that Santa is like the easter bunny or Sparky the fire dog, just someone dressed up. But lots of people think he's real and we shouldnt tell them otherwise because it's not nice to upset them.
So far this has worked.
And really, when I put a lot thought time and effort into an awesome present, why does santa get the credit?! LOL

I try really hard to enforce the 1 gift only rule.for their grandparents but it's never followed which is so annoying to have all his STUFF build up. They actually have some toys from last year that haven't even been opened yet.
MIL asks for a list then never follows it.

[pennywhistle]

Oh I thought of something - I'd love to have a necklace that says "Atticus" on it.  My friend has a necklace with a little disc that has her son's name on one side and his birthdate on the other, and I love it.

[iixivboots]

I want one of these with a peridot charm, as well...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63075173/mommy-necklace-two-letters-hand-stamped?ref=af_new_item

There's different sellers but the idea is the same. :)

[monkeyscience]

boots - about your SIL's reaction to charity gifts. That's pretty disgusting. I would be tempted to say, "Well, since you already give so much to yourself, we obviously don't need to give you anything!"

I'm also there in really wanting a professional photography session. But we can't afford to pay $500+ for a session and pictures. Honestly, I'm at a loss to figure out how so many people manage to afford maternity/baby/family portrait sessions. Even J C Penney is pretty expensive!

I don't know what we'll do about Santa. Luckily, it's pretty irrelevant this year. I haven't brought it up with dh at all, so I don't know what his thoughts are. For me, Christmas is primarily a celebration of Christ, so I don't want to focus too much on Santa and reindeer and elves and gifts and such. And I don't like the idea of lying to my kid, either. Some of this probably stems from my own childhood and the fact that I wasn't really, truly certain Santa wasn't real until I was probably 12 or 13.

As for my other Christmas wishes, I'm asking for some games, some kitchen stuff, money/gift cards for clothes/shoes, and earrings and a new dress watch. Maybe a few other things I forgot. I obviously won't get all/most of it (especially since my parents are taking us to Hawaii for New Years, and thus not buying us any Christmas gifts), but I like to give people a lot of ideas. :)

[Sol_y_Paz]

Originally Posted by monkeyscience 

I'm also there in really wanting a professional photography session. But we can't afford to pay $500+ for a session and pictures. Honestly, I'm at a loss to figure out how so many people manage to afford maternity/baby/family portrait sessions. Even J C Penney is pretty expensive!

Me too.  We couldn't and I feel pretty down about it.  I feel like I missed out on photo opportunities I can never get back, but we just couldn't swing it.  

[Sol_y_Paz]

delete

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 11/27/12 at 9:58pm

[Tizzy]

For the photos, I've had good luck with people wanting to build portfolios. Then its as cheap as $40. We just had a mini session done by a local lady for $60 which includes a bunch of prints and printing rights for christmas cards and such

Oooooh great idea about the necklace, ive been lusting after something like that for awhile. I wish DH had telepathy and would give me one for my birthday without me having to ask lol

[Veritas Vitae]

I got my maternity photos done by a newer photographer and was able to get a better deal that way.  Of course, she made some beginner photog mistakes too, particularly with framing, which isn't a huge deal if they frame wide, because it can be cropped, but not good if they are too tight on the shot... 

[iixivboots]

We were SO lucky my friend who is an amateur photographer and great took pics for us at 3 weeks and a few at the hospital. I was nervous to ask but they were happy to do it, it only took like 30 minutes and we treasure them. They are just in our house and not super fancy but lovely. Also there's a mom in my mom's group who does single shots at our events for $5 and I heard she does like a dozen shots for $65, so you gotta shop around, as they say.

[CCoello]

We hired a student photographer off craigslist for our wedding and the shots turned out just fine! It's a beautiful, creative set, we have all the printing rights, and it was $800 (which, while a lot of money, was a steal for a wedding photographer with an 8 hour session).

I bet you could find some great folks off craigslist who will do an infant sitting cheap.

We got out some christmas lights and did the whole baby-with-lights thing a few nights ago. He didn't smile at them, which would have been nice - he touched them and held them with such serious determination ;)

[monkeyscience]

Be careful with Christmas light pictures - Christmas lights are full of lead, not baby safe at all! I had no idea until a couple of friends posted about it on Facebook:

http://www.examiner.com/article/don-t-give-your-baby-lead-poisoning-for-a-cute-christmas-photo

[Veritas Vitae]

Good to know, Monkey. That picture is so cute.  I wonder if the LED lights also have high amounts of lead. I know when I was a kid I was all up in the Christmas lights, I LOVE Christmas lights.