2013 Holiday Gift Guide: For Kids

Are you guys ready? I'm gonna drop some knowledge on you right now.

What if I told you that it doesn't matter what other people buy/get/do/don't do for their kids at Christmastime?

Yesterday, after seeing my 6th article on why a mom does/doesn't do Elf on the Shelf for her kids, I posted on my Facebook page that the Republicans and Dems could learn a thing or two about debate from these women. Seriously, it has been bananas.


One mom says she doesn't do it because it takes the spirit away from the holidays.

The other says she does it to make magical memories for her children.

One debates that it's lying to her kids.

The other says her children are only little for so long,

One legitimately said the elf is satanic.

Yeah, can we go ahead and just stop right there?

Why is it that at Christmas time, moms get so smug? Instead of you know, actually enjoying the holiday, we feel the need to constantly defend the "whys" of our choices and why they're superior to any other.

Look, parenting is hard at the best of times. So I get that parenting is even harder at Christmastime. You want your children to enjoy it, without completely spoiling them and exhausting yourself in the process. So when you see Instagram posts of your favorite pretend  elf causing mischief at someone else's house, you have a reaction to it. You say you're too tired to keep that up for a month, or you Pinterest new ideas to step up your game.

In the end, I think the best magical gift for your children would be to get off Facebook and stop debating with people you don't know/like. Getting heated about what someone else is doing for their kids at Christmas has no purpose. Comparing festivities, parties, present amounts and yes, even a family tradition like Elf on the Shelf robs you of the spirit of the season, regardless of what side you're on.

I don't care if you overindulge your kids, if things are tight this year, if you go all out or you're a Christmas minimalist. You don't have to justify your reasons to anyone. It's OK if someone chooses something else for their kids. It doesn't affect you at all.

Breathe.

So, I guess my "Gift Guide" for kids is this: Give them what you can. If that means creating elaborate elf scenarios, so be it. If that means taking your kids to see the town nativity, go for it and good on you. If you're more of a cardboard chocolate advent calendar person, cheers -- that's what I grew up on. If you love giving a boatload of presents, be my guest -- just don't go into debt over it.


But remember that what you can give your kids is different than what others can give their own brood. Let's lay off the smug, slap on a smile, and stop justifying ourselves all season long. Let's focus on what's important, which probably isn't being "right" on the Internet. Let's remember that it's actually really truly OK to disagree.

Love,

An elf-owning, but constantly-forgetting, tired, movie-crying, present-shopping, premade cookie dough-baking, lights-loving, religious-undertone creating, sometimes uptight, but usually nice Mom.

PS: Please do not comment on this post about why or why you don't do Elf on the Shelf.

I don't care.