12.26.11

I am exhausted.

Not like tired, I need to sleep exhausted.  Like over-stimulated,  away from my own house, too much stuff exhausted.

The house is a wreck.  We ran out the door yesterday to get to church on time and went straight from there to Greg's sister's house, and left late only to have our tire blow out not ten miles down the road so back we went on the do-nut to her house and had to stay over night because what tire store was going to be open at 11 pm on a Sunday on Christmas.  We got home around noon today, fed the baby, took Rex fishing, came home and slept.  While we slept, Greg set up the new tent we got from his parents and built a fire.  We had hot dogs for dinner.  The house needs attention.  I have until Friday.  Then I have to get ready for New Years.

I started this evening to clean up.  Started.  Alice lay on the floor next to me trying to grab her new moose from Andrea.  Rex was watching his new Dumbo movie and Greg was outside tending to the fire.  It was (finally) quite and as I rolled up pounds of ripped paper, and smoothed out tissue paper (I save it), I reflected on a conversation I had with my mom earlier.  Christmas is too much.  It's the stuff and the shopping that is exhausting.  Don't get me wrong, I've worn my new boots for the past two days, all day.  I've enjoyed reading Alice in Wonderland on my new Kindle; I look forward to having matching glasses and silverware once again.  But it's just overwhelming.  I don't know what to do with all of it.  It exhausts me.

Rex is a better example of this.  All he wanted for Christmas was a race car fishing pole.  That's it.  But we couldn't leave it at that.  We also got him a big box of Legos and a new ride-on car.  And then he got stuff from both sets of grandparents, a package from Great Nanna, and stuff from each of his aunts and uncles.  He enjoyed opening one gift.  But really he just wanted to play with his fishing pole.  Like last year, Greg and I ended up opening most of his presents because he couldn't handle it.  He got overwhelmed by the stuff.  He has enjoyed each gift. He's played with everything.  But he joy was full with the fishing pole.  While he has enjoyed and will continue to enjoy all the presents, having multiple didn't increase his happiness.  It just overwhelmed and exhausted him.

 In a way, I think the Jews do it right.  One present a night for eight nights.  Way less overwhelming.  Gives you time to enjoy each gift individually rather than sitting in a mountain of paper after an hour of ravenous ripping and tearing not knowing what to do or where to start.  That's what I did today.  When I walked in the living room to finally get it cleaned up, I just stared for a while. I had no idea where to even start cleaning.  And once I did start all I did was make piles for a while.  Slowly the room got cleaner, but there's still much to be done and now I have to find places for all this stuff.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful.  Because I'm not.  I am pleased with my gifts and have or will shortly enjoy each one.  I'm just wondering if it's all that necessary.  Is more really better?

As we were finally putting Rex to bed tonight, Greg and I decided that next year, we're going to tone it down a bit all around.  We both love Christmas.  But what I love, and I realized this tonight as I cleaned, is not Christmas morning, but the season.  I love the Advent we do each December as a family.  I love doing a little activity each night and just being together.  I like opening gifts and getting stuff, but I love spending time with my family.  So next year, we're going to tone Christmas morning down.  When Rex asks for just a fishing pole and that's all he wants.  That's all he's getting, because the car and the Legos didn't increase his happiness enough to justify the increase in selfishness and commercialism.

Nonetheless, Christmas was what it was and we enjoyed it.  And now some pictures for you to enjoy:

Before

Greg got a new wedding ring--he loves it, or at least he better.

Where's Greg?

Alice didn't wake up until the rest of us had opened all our presents.

Alice got Rex Cars sunglasses to go with his fishing pole

Alice got a new diaper.  It leaks. Lame.

Modeling my new underwear from Mom.  What do you think?

Rex fishing for Alice.  Don't worry, we didn't put a real hook on it.