The kids are so excited about tomorrow morning — waking up to a bunch of gifts under the Christmas tree. But before that can happen, tonight is all about preparation.
I usually wrap all the gifts on Christmas Eve, after the kids go to bed, of course.
This year is a little different. My big one is 11, so he already knows there’s no real Santa. But we still keep the secret alive for our little son, who is only 6. We want him to enjoy Santa, believe in the magic, and have fun imagining Santa coming down the chimney and placing gifts under the tree.
I send the kids to bed around 9 p.m. While my husband and I prepare things downstairs, Our little boy quietly walks out of his bedroom and peeks down at the Christmas tree to see if any gifts are there yet.
At that point, I have to remind him,
“The Santa will only come after you sleep.”
So he goes back to bed and tries very hard to fall asleep… lol.
While wrapping gifts, I actually enjoy the quiet time by myself. I watch YouTube on my phone, and one comedian pops up saying his friend asked him,
“When should we tell the kids there is no Santa?”
And he answers,
“This is easy. You tell them when you can no longer afford their gift lists.”
That made me laugh so hard — and honestly, it might be true.
Because as kids grow up, the things they want are no longer puzzles or small toys in the $20 range. Suddenly it’s Xbox, iPad, and of course… a phone.
My big boy is in middle school now, and he doesn’t have a phone yet. Yes, he has asked for one, and I told him,
“You’ll have one in high school.”
Right now, he has a watch that lets me talk to him, text him, and see his location — and that’s it. I’m trying to postpone the phone as long as possible, and I think most parents already know the reasons.
Let’s come back to Christmas Eve.
For our little guy, he still enjoys little kid toys, so it’s easy to know what he likes. But for the big one, soon it will basically come down to a budget. Easy, right? The only thing that needs to be discussed is the budget amount — and then comes a lot of negotiation.
Since winter break officially starts early this year, this is the only one night when the kids are actually easy to send to bed without asking,
“Why so early?”
I really enjoy my gift-wrapping time, but I still have to hurry to bed myself. I don’t want to miss waking up early tomorrow morning to see the happy faces of my two boys when they open their gifts.
We record a video every year, and we still enjoy watching those videos over time. It’s one of the best moments as a parent and as a family.
Alright, moms — let’s continue doing what we do.
If things are already good, keep going.
If things aren’t great, there’s always a chance to fix them.
And if something doesn’t feel right, you can always try again.
It really can be that simple.