Christmas stuff

[phoebemommy]

If this is your first baby, what do you plan on doing for Christmas?

We'll put up a tree I'm sure, and do presents and stockings, but I just don't know if it's worth going whole hog with Santa and fanfare for a 4 month old. Not that I'm Scrooge about it, but just having a baby takes most of my energy these days, you know?

[2 in August]

When dd was a new baby we didn't do alot for Christmas. I can't even remember if I put up a tree. We got her a couple presents, but you're right you don't need to go whole hog.

This year it will be different because with a 5yo who loves parties and holidays I can't get away with no tree, lol. But we still won't do too many toys. The kids get sooo many from family that we get them a couple special things that just we know they want (or in Ian's case something I want him to have). Ian will probably get some practical things too like wipes, lol. I figure if dd gets socks, he can get a practical present too.

[BetsyS]

I figure this is the last year that my tree is safe from little explorers, so I'll definitely put up our tree.

I have always decorated the whole house, we use holiday china from November 1st through the new year, bake some special treats, take a night to go look at all the lights in the neighborhood (this one may or may not happen**at this point, ds doesn't like being in the car after dark AT ALL), listen to Christmas music all the time, have one fancy, dress up dinner (at home this year, cause of the no cars after dark thing. LOL) for the two of us, go to a Christmas parade (usually two--but, we'll just go to the daytime one this year), enjoy a day of shopping at the mall (I usually avoid malls, but I just love them this time of year, all the hustle and bustle, all the decorations; lots of fun).

We have a local department store (now Macy's) that has always had a little roller coaster type ride around the big tree on top of the building. I went as a kid, my mom went as a kid, and I'm looking forward to taking ds, but maybe next year.

Santa will bring a stocking here and a few presents. I think we're planning on doing Santa, but not huge like when I was a kid. A little scaled back version.

[blairinargentina]

we're having this debate as well... my dh and i feel like it's a little much to "go all out" for a 4 month old. my family on the hand (we're going to their houses for christmas) are hellbent on spoiling this baby rotten. even though we have asked them to use a little restraint.

for us its a matter of ideals. we live very simply, we try not to be uber consumers... our families are a different story. looks like christmas is going to be interest for this kiddo... getting one message from us and something totally contradictory from the grandparents. dont get me wrong, i want my folks to "enjoy" a new baby in the family, but we dont need or want her to be lavished with gifts all year, every year. christmas means something totally different for dh and i.

anyone else dealt with this?

[NewAtThis]

Originally Posted by blairinargentina

for us its a matter of ideals. we live very simply, we try not to be uber consumers... our families are a different story. looks like christmas is going to be interest for this kiddo... getting one message from us and something totally contradictory from the grandparents. dont get me wrong, i want my folks to "enjoy" a new baby in the family, but we dont need or want her to be lavished with gifts all year, every year. christmas means something totally different for dh and i.

anyone else dealt with this?

Yep! Dh and I don't celebrate Christmas, or Hannukah, or Ramadan, etc etc, and started doing a low key Solstice celebration a few years ago. With the lack of religion in our lives, we felt like it was time to get away from a holiday that only meant gifts and consumerism to us. Of course, the rest of the world doesn't feel that way! Including most of our families.
Dd's relatives and grandparents will be giving her Christmas presents I'm sure, and I think I'm ok with that, as long as when she's older, she learns the religious backgrund of the holiday, and other holidays we don't celebrate. It brings other people joy to give her Christmas presents, so I don't want to rob them of that pleasure.
So what will Dd's first Solstice be like? Not sure...but I want to start some traditions that can help her feel like she isn't missing out. Any other Solstice celebrators out there?

[magpiedee]

We're suckers... but cheap suckers. We have a 4 foot-tall, white, $10 tree from the Dollar Store that we have already set up with ornaments, also from the Dollar Store. Cleo loves looking at the lights! I've also been shopping around Old Navy and eBay for good deals, so she's got several cute 6-12 things and a couple of books under the tree. DH is bad about opening gifts early, so we've each gotten eachother 2 gifts so far and already opened them. We'll have to be a little more circumspect next year, when Cleo knows what's going on. :

Anyway, we are going small scale and fun. We'll get together with family to eat lots of greasy southern food and chocolate pie, and i'm sure we'll get all sorts of impractical stuff for the baby, and we're okay with that.

Also, we're not at all religious and plan on telling Cleo about all the different religious holidays, but going with the tree and fun rituals of Christmas. I was raised that way, and i'm almost normal.

[veganf]

Originally Posted by phoebemommy

I just don't know if it's worth going whole hog with Santa and fanfare for a 4 month old.

Even if you don't, you're bound to have friends and relatives popping out of nowhere to give your first baby holiday gifts. We were swamped with gifts for our first. Since then only a few relatives bother. But those first babies are soooo fun to shop for!

We just do xmas to keep the relatives happy. We're more about solstice and family and helping others. My husband donated about $10,000 in games to the Boys & Girls Club last year. This year he's volunteering there to teach games to the kids and donating free entry to B&G Club members to game tournaments.

- Krista

[mrs rockstar]

It's our first Christmas in our new house and the grandparents will be spending it with us. I can trust that they'll go all out, so we don't have to DD1 is getting a kitchen set and that's it and for Charlie, I have no idea. She'll be a few days shy of 4 months, what in the world could she want aside from more boob? I was thinking I'd knit her a bunch of pants or something practical like that. DD1 was so spoiled being the first baby born in my group of friends that Charlie has all the toys a baby could ever want from hand me downs.

We are doing a tree and I'm guilty of buying matching dresses for the girls to wear on Christmas day for dinner at their other grandparent's house.

[mamamilkers]

Originally Posted by jesamin

We are doing a tree and I'm guilty of buying matching dresses for the girls to wear on Christmas day for dinner at their other grandparent's house.

OMG, matching outfits is the BEST part of having two girls!

I think Christmas fanfare is super fun for ME-- regardless of how the kids see it! I say go all out if you feel like, otherwise save up your energy for next year when your DC will really start to get in to it. My first DD was 6 months old on her first Christmas, so she kind of sort of got in to it. We sure did enjoy shopping for her, though!