Christmas Joy Dare, 1000 Gifts

What a blessed day. It always is. And even more so now that the girls are old enough to talk about the true meaning of Christmas. This year we did something different. Rather than giving the girls and each other a long laundry list of toys that can be forgotten or lost within the wrapping paper, we opted for 4 gifts each [with a few exceptions for Santa!]:

Something you want

Something you need

Something to wear

Something to read

I liked this a lot. It made selecting gifts more of a challenge and allowed each gift to be thought of a bit more carefully, rather than just trying to spend a set amount. I enjoyed shopping for a book I thought Rocky would enjoy. I liked talking with my husband about what the girls "needed."

I found myself looking at my girls and my husband several times throughout the day, marveling at how blessed and, let's face it, lucky I am. While this is definitely not where I ever expected to find myself, I have a loving family (and extended family), we have a roof over our heads, more food than we could possibly eat, mounds of laundry to clean each week, and we're able to give thoughtful gifts to each other.

Maggie was a little sad tonight thinking that Christmas was over. The day is over, but keeping that spirit up all year round is the challenge and our joy.