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A Christmas from the heart

Out of my three children, two of them have October birthdays. I remember each of the dates just fine but sometimes forget that they both have them within two weeks of each other, therefore dad needs to plan a bit better for gifts.

My mother’s birthday is on the 23rd of December and my aunt’s is on the 24th. From what I’ve heard from many other people with December birthdays is no, you don’t get double the gifts, often times it means you perceive a slight on one or both of the occasions.

I’m grateful that I don’t have this problem; my birthday is technically Christmas in July; at least on Isle Royale. I think I may have a solution to this mess of the dual birthday and Christmas clutter. I propose that anyone with a birthday in December that they re-schedule it for January; just like a lot of large retail chains do to their Christmas parties for their employees.

Most retail chains are working throughout the holidays and January is the slowest month of the year for them, so the obvious choice is to have the employee Christmas party in January.

I know in my mother’s case we’ve adopted a new tradition over the past three or four years and that’s to make a casino trip for the free spin on the wheel and to go out for her free birthday lunch/dinner somewhere.

This year those two duties were split, I did the casino run while my two youngest daughters took out grandma for her birthday meal due to me working 9-6 on her birthday; nobody likes to wait too late in the day for a free meal.

I’m hopeful that the presents this year were understood by my children. I’m doing my best to get them out of the computer chair and into a soft chair, to read, or even watch a movie. For my middle child she got a book set to read, we’ve seen the movie, so hopefully she’ll read the book. For my “baby girl”, (she’s 14 but she’ll always be the baby), she too received a book, a Wimpy Kid book. I know that she’s aged above those but a dad has to try to reign in the sands of time by holding her back a little, right?

My oldest child’s computer broke so the majority of her Christmas was a half and half purchase on a new computer sometime back in October. I felt bad that I couldn’t just give her that as a “here you go” but only four months earlier she received a computer as a graduation gift. I did manage to give her some practical gifts, omelets from Schwan’s, and some kitchen items to encourage her on her independence during this, her first year of college.

I’m writing this before Christmas so ignore any past tense to present tense, I don’t know their reactions yet but hopefully they will be happy with the gifts.

This was the first Christmas in years where I can honestly say that I didn’t go overboard, that the gifts are mostly practical, but still gifts from the heart. Here’s to wishing you and yours a blessed New Year.

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