I think... I might be becoming a scrooge!?!

Christmas Scrooge?? maybe….

So I am definitely not feeling the Christmas spirit yet.  And every year it keeps getting worse.  I used to LOVE Christmas- but… well as my kids are getting older, (humph- not getting older, they are adults).  There just isn't as much to get excited about.  So the tree isn't up yet, no gifts wrapped and I haven’t started to think about baking or Christmas dinner.  I've turned into my mother!! GASP! NOOOOOOO!!!

I remember the excitement my kids had every year as we would pull the tree and decorations out, yes- we are an artificial tree family, we tried the real thing, in Florida, and it’s not all that great. It dries up too soon!! Their adorable little faces as we would string the lights on the roof tops and through the bushes, them always wanting MORE LIGHTS! Every Christmas eve I would read a Christmas book out loud to my 3 babes and they would always be so excited to open their one Christmas even present, which was always pajamas. (Doesn't every parent do that??) In the days leading up to Christmas we would all pile into the car and drive around looking at all the lights trying to find the very best house, you know the one, the one that no matter how many lights you put up this year and how many hours it took still left your house looking pathetic? Yeah, that one.  The one that had all the kids saying, “we want our house to look like that next year!” as Hubs and I just gave each other a look that said, umm, yeah right!  They were quick to help put up the tree and put out all the Christmas decorations and couldn't wait to help make Christmas cookies.  And now? Well no one wants to help put up the tree, the girls are on their own and have their own to do now anyways, but my boy, he can come home after I have been working on the tree ALL day and say, “oh, you put the tree up, cool”.  And walk away! No one wants to bake anymore, they just want everything to magically appear and of course they still expect presents.  Not want presents, expect presents.  And we aren't’t talking reasonable gifts, like sweaters, ear rings, scarves, nope, not my kids.  Now it’s Michael Kors hand bags, Tori Burch riding boots, Kate Spade anything, $200 longboard trucks, (yeah, don’t even ask!) and 50” TVs.  Ummm, hello?  I’m not Santa and don’t have elves working away in a magical workshop out back.  Heck, I want those things, and I am in my forties and don’t have that stuff.  So Scrooge I have become.  I hate it.  I have tried to remind my kids about the real meaning of Christmas, it’s not about the materialistic gifts, it about the birth of Christ.  Which they have grown up knowing their WHOLE lives, nothing new here. It’s about family, quality time together and just enjoying each other.  Several years ago when things were financially very lean for us, we scaled back to just 3 gifts for each of the kids.  Just like baby Jesus received.  Each gift was something they really wanted and they seemed to be OK with the less is more concept.  As things improved financially for us we stuck to the 3 gifts concept but the dollar amount of the gifts grew. They are now 19, 23 (and on her own), and 26 (and MARRIED!), I don’t think they need to wake up Christmas morning and see the entire living room covered in gifts anymore.  And they no longer return 75% of their gifts now.  But even after the 3 gifts were instituted 5 years ago they still don’t seem to get that it is the new normal.  So here I am being a Scrooge because I  don’t like the new normal.   I want my kids to be little again.  But that is not gonna happen so somehow I have to get over it!! But it is so hard!

We do have fresh wreaths on our door and poinsettias lining our walk, but only because Hubs picked them up at Home Depot the other day.  I guess I need to suck it up and find some new Holiday spirit! I wonder if I procrastinate longer if he will also put up a tree by himself…….. not likely.  It could be my boy’s last Christmas at home with us, I guess I better step it up and make it a good one. 

I decided it was time to go buy some holiday spirit, my mom called while I was out and said how do you do that? Are you buying yourself gifts? Nope! Time to buy a few more decorations.  Hubs and my boy actually decorated the tree while I handed them ornaments.  But it was lacking something, Boy wanted gold & silver and there was no pop, the tree actually looked better bare with just lights. So shopping I went, and bought some new ornaments and picked up some fake tree snow.  It was only a couple bucks and looked fun.  And it was!! I blew some out of my hand into the tree and then just threw it all over! It went all over the floor and I didn't even care! It was fun! So I bought myself a little smidgen of Christmas cheer, now for serious shopping tomorrow! 

So I have a leeeettle bit more Christmas cheer.  Tomorrow is serious shopping day with BFF and then Christmas bunco.  Soooo, maybe I will come home with a little spring in my step for the season.  

So since this blog IS suppose to be about my exercise and rehab and FOOD, time for honesty... I have only done some core strengthening exercises twice in the last week and I haven't run AT ALL.  I need Christmas and exercise motivation! My younger daughter is trying to motivate me- she has run about 5 times in the last week.  Brat. She says motivating others helps motivate her.  I tried explaining that at the moment I was busy shoveling Nutella into my mouth by the spoonful and really wasn't interested in her motivational speeches.  Oi! I need help!!! 

Are you all done with the Christmas shopping? Decorations? Gifts already wrapped? Or do you wait until the last minute??

Trying not be a Scrooge,

Collette