'tis better to have one than none at all

...I missed posting yesterday. I have done pretty good but not as good as Krista. Anyway, I have a topic that closely relates to my sister's posts from the last two days. It is about Christmas gifts.

The boys each want a Nintendo DS Lite (the hand-held gaming system). They have wanted these things for a long time but Seth was against it (just another thing to buy expensive games for) and I was a little wary (would they bury their little heads into those things and never come out) so after a long discussion, we came up with a compromise.

Ask for ONE Nintendo DS Lite.

Just one. They will have to share. We explained that this would be better: there would be limits on the time played on them anyway, those things aren't exactly cheap, the games cost money and if they had one they would at least still talk to each other.

Rhett understood. I think he was just relieved we were letting him ask for one.

Noah was a little sad. "Now I am going to just cry more!" he said. Then he asked why they couldn't ask for one from Santa and one from us, the parents.

Seth said that although Santa must be rich to buy all those presents for everyone, we can't ask for lots of expensive things because that isn't fair to the other children in the world.

I think, in the end, Noah understood. He still wasn't exactly fired up about the idea but that is okay. Like Krista said, they have to learn not to expect the world for Christmas. It is not about the gifts you get anyway.

Whenever I talk to one of my friends about Santa gifts, she always laughs. Apparently, her two kids (5 and 3) think Santa just gives cookies, candy and maybe one or two little dollar store gifts. That is it. So they don't even ask for things for Christmas.

I am sure my kids have other friends who do get the world for Christmas (or at least to my boys they do). Their parents wouldn't think twice of getting two DS systems.

I think both ways are fine. I am glad we are trying to be more in the middle though.