"That's for me!!!!!"

Presents. Robert says I overdo it every year. How can you "overdo" Christmas? To me it never seems like there is enough. There is always something else to get. Usually for Bryan because I have bought so much for Katie. She is so easy to buy for. She may not like everything I get her, but she WILL wear the clothes I bought her...dang it! LOL! So I was always having to add more for Bryan, and he is hard to buy for. Or was. He just never wants anything. His list is a few things. He never wants clothes, but I always buy some. If I didn't buy him clothes for Christmas he would wear the same thing until it fell off him. This year, even though they are adults, I still asked for lists. I needed ideas. Next year though, 5 things per list, total of the 5 has to be $100 or less. That's it. No more $55 movies. No more $30 video games. If they want those things, then it comes out of their $100. And I'm sticking to that! Or at least I will try to!

I loved Christmas morning when I was a kid. The only presents that went under the tree before Santa came were the ones that us kids gave each other. There were 5 of us so there were quite a few gifts sitting under there. Before we went to bed, we were allowed to open one present. Then off to bed we would go to await the arrival of Santa. And we were never disappointed. There were so many presents that half of the living room would be full! I know I have a picture of one Christmas growing up. I will find it later today and try to upload it tonight or tomorrow. I will upload a picture from Bryan's first Christmas. I have that on myspace, so it was easy to get to it. I was horrible at peeking though. Actually I was a great peeker, I just was horrible for looking! I knew at least one gift every year. I would find the gifts in my parents room and I would find one with my name on it and carefully open one end, see what it was and then carefully tape it back closed. No one ever knew. I was pretty good at it. It took me years to stop peeking. I'm talking being married and having kids and still knowing at least one gift! If I could not find the gifts, I would find receipts! So pathetic.

One year I decided that I wanted to have all the presents under the tree that were for the kids and Robert, except of course the ones from Santa. He doesn't come until Christmas Eve! Anyway, we put all of the gifts under the tree for a couple weeks. Come Christmas morning Robert started passing out gifts. He picked up one for Bryan. And looked kind of confused. He turned it around. Bryan had opened one end. Not just opened the tape, but tore it open then shoved that end back under the tree so that we would not see. Then Robert picked up another present for Bryan. Same thing. One end all torn open. Gift after gift for Bryan was opened on one end and then that end put under the tree so that we would not know. He had opened all of them! And his idea of us not knowing was to hide the opened end. Like we would not see it when it was Christmas morning! Like mother like son.That was the last time I put presents under the tree before the kids went to bed Christmas Eve. Even now I don't put them out. Mostly so that Kodiak & Alyeska don't get into them!