This Santa Stuff is too hard!

Dear Readers,

If at any time in the last little-over-a-year that I've been blogging I gave you the impression that I know anything at all, I apologize. If I've led anyone of you to believe that I have this mommy-thing all figured out, you're sadly mistaken.

Case in point: Santa.

Of course, I have the main idea figured out. In fact, I remember being 6 or 7 years old, badgering my mother to just tell me the truth. I even used the best logical argument I've ever heard (granted, it was my own, so I'm a little biased) for getting a grown-up to confess their secret identity as Father Christmas. I told her that if she didn't tell me, I would grow up and have children of my own who wouldn't have gifts on Christmas morning, all because I didn't know for sure it was supposed to be my job.

Well, here I am with kids of my own. Ever since we welcomed Big Sister into our family, Hubby & I have relished our duties each Christmas eve. But this year, I'm kind of wishing I didn't know it was my job. Because if there really were a magical man who embodied the Spirit of Christmas, he would certainly know how to handle Big Sister's Christmas list better than I could.

Last year was so simple. She wanted a dollhouse, but that was an idea I planted in her brain early in the Christmas season. Not that she didn't get super excited about it- it was just that she needed a little help coming up with an idea, and I needed to be able to get something early without my little indecisive one changing her mind over & over. The only other things on her list were light-up princess tennis shoes and some "Christmas jewelries." It warmed my heart to think that my then-three-year-old was not overly materialistic about Christmas gifts. I expected this sweet, simple Christmas spirit to last. It has not.

This year, Big Sis wants to ask Santa for everything she sees on television. (She is extremely susceptible to commercials on Noggin so we will hereafter ONLY be watching PBSkids and DVDs!) I've been trying to remind her that Jesus only got three gifts for Christmas (from the wise men) and that since it is actually His birthday, we shouldn't expect any more. One day I reminded her that gifts aren't what Christmas is all about, to which she responded "yes, it is. Christmas is about getting things from Santa." Sigh.

When I did my consignment sale shopping this fall, I found a few great bargains that she would love to get as gifts. So I've been trying to tell her that she needs to leave some room for Santa to bring surprises. But she also has LOTS of things she wants. Some of those things I've passed along to my mom, who will in turn pass them along to other relatives. But others are so big they ought to come from Santa himself. One of them, the Leapster 2 game system, I went ahead and ordered when I got a great deal. I thought we had the Santa thing under control.

Then the horrible hands of materialism struck again, in the most innocent of places- the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade. First of all, did anyone else notice how many floats this year were advertisements? There was a Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage float, and a Build-a-bear float, and a giant Pillsbury doughboy in the sky, just to name a few. Has it always been like this? Was I just oblivious before?

Somewhere along the way, Big Sis saw a commercial for this:
It's a "Barbie I Can Be Pet Vet Care Station." Just the name makes me cringe. I mean, seriously... could they not just pop an "a" in there between "be" & "pet" or better yet, just replace the word "pet" with "a" or "the." I mean, we all know vets care for animals, right? No need to be redundant...

But the name is the least of my reservations about this atrocity. For one thing, it is $60 $70 (the dumb thing WENT UP!) at ToysRUs. Everywhere else, including Amazon, has it for more than $90. Did I mention I already bought a Leapster 2 and game?

For another thing, it is huge. We don't have anywhere to put it.

And finally, it is unnecessary. Big Sister already has a doctor kit and lots of stuffed animals. Sure, there are a few cute features like the iv or heart monitor, but I'm not sure she would even understand them.

When looking for alternatives, I came across this:
It costs $17 at Target. It has lots more tools, a bone, doggie food, and a cute carrying case for traveling to the vet. It is not going to require building an addition to our house. And with the money saved, I can buy a cute scrub set or lab coat to make the pretend occupation complete.

But when I asked Big Sis about a different vet set with more stuff, she said she really liked the Barbie one. She has also been singing about Barbie ALL DAY- including humming that annoying Barbie Girl song which apparently they listen to in dance class. WHAT?

Do you see my dilemma developing, dear readers? We have 1) missing the meaning of Christmas 2) materialism and 3) annoying musical atrocities the desire for a more expensive, more attractive, yet less effective toy.

Oh! Aaaannd 4) a little girl who probably deserves to be on the naughty list much of the time.

But on the other hand, this is the first time Big Sister has ever picked out something she wanted for Christmas on her own. And as precocious as she is, I don't know how much longer she will buy into the magic of Santa Claus. (During the parade, she looked at him for a very long time, with lots of concern in her eyes, and finally said, "That's not right." I waited for her to finish, and she did,"He doesn't wear those things- those bells & stuff." I sighed in relief and just told her that he wore something special for the parade, and anticipating more inquiries, that it looked like he got a haircut for the occasion, too.)

I've run through every possible scenario for Christmas morning. 1) Big Sis excitedly opening the monstrous pink piece- thrilled beyond imagination. 2) Big Sis opening the smaller, less-pink set from Target, perhaps with a note from the Big Guy. The note might say a) that he thought this one would be better because of all of the extra pieces. Or b) that the elves ran out of parts for the other. Or even c) that she had some difficulty keeping her temper under control and that Santa did the best he could. 3) Neither gift comes on Christmas. We roll with the original "surprises" and a lesson in being thankful for whatever we get.

I'm truly torn. One part of me says you have to start instilling the important values & lessons in life when children are young, but the other part says that sometimes (and especially at Christmas) we have to just let them be young.

So, readers of mine, I need your advice. Do I use this situation as a means to teach about what is really important, about materialism and greed and the true meaning of Christmas? Or do I just wait, trusting that as long as we guide her each day, she will understand as she matures, and remembering that these Christmas moments of magic will never come again? Is there another compromise I am overlooking?

I need some help. And since I can't rely on Santa for this one, I'm hoping some of you will swoop in on your sleighs and share your wisdom. I'm so thankful to everyone who reads this silly little blog of mine.



Speaking of how thankful I am for you all, don't forget to enter my giveaway!