Our little, quaint Christmas

We returned home from Orlando on the 23rd, which gave me the 24th to get everything ready for Christmas day. Our main gift was Disney World, and we knew the kids would be getting gifts from friends and grandparents, so we decided to buy them each one thing. We hadn't even gotten a Christmas tree yet.

Rewinding a day, the day before we left Orlando, J and I wanted to do something to help the kids feel the Christmas spirit of giving, since we were only playing the whole week before it was Christmas, and believe me there was so much to see and do, we didn't have time to stop for 5 minutes, as soon as we got home we were in bed and asleep.

So the last day we were there we told the kids we would take them to Target and they got to pick out one toy that they wanted, and then we would take it to a child who wasn't getting anything for Christmas. At first I thought it might be hard for them to do and was kind of mean because they are too little to understand, but when we got to the store, I was more hopeful that they could understand the purpose.

Sierra had the hardest time. I knew what she really wanted, so I knew her weakness. I didn't know what toy the other kids were as passionate about as Sierra is about an iDog. Plus there is previous history about one she had and traded at school, a lesson of choice and accountability she learned the hard way.

She got excited about the iDog at Target thinking she would keep it, but then realized she couldn't give it away so she told us all she had to do was pick out something she didn't really want and it would be easy to give away. Then we had to explain if she didn't really want it, then why would another 6 year old girl want it. We wanted her to give another child something that she really wanted for Christmas. We made her get the iDog and Billy picked out a Buzz Lightyear (which he is really into these days) and he was excited about sharing his toy with another little boy. He kept telling me he wanted to share. Sydney was the same way.

Sierra cried and whined and played with the toy all the way to the shelter. But at the last 5 minutes, I think she finally got it and her whole attitude changed and she realized it was something she could be happy and excited about and feel that spirit of. I was so proud of all 4 of my kids who walked in with new toys and laid them by the Christmas tree, to then walk away from them so another child would be blessed with them.

Sydney was a little sad when we left because she thought we were going to the children's homes and she wanted to meet and play with them.

While in Target I followed behind with a separate basket and grabbed each of the toys that they picked out for the shelter. A trick I learned from my mom:)

So come Christmas morning they all though they had given away the one thing they really wanted so they weren't expecting to receive it. Sierra was so excited to learn that she was blessed with something she wanted because she had sacrificed something she had wanted to give a blessing to someone else.

We picked up a Christmas tree on the way home from Orlando and did all our touch up shopping on the 24th and had a simple, fun Christmas. Minus the snow:)