Keeping it Real - The Christmas Lists

 

TOMS

   This year my children spent Thanksgiving weekend working on their lists for Santa. We (Joel and I) laid the ground work early by telling them to write down a few things they really want but stressed keeping their lists on the shorter side.  The reason behind this suggestion is rooted in the fact that they already have so much and Santa Claus may need to focus his gift-giving efforts on the less fortunate this year.  In all honesty, that talk wasn't really aimed at the kids - it was aimed at their mother.  I am the guilty party in the overindulgences of Christmases past.  Me.  All me.  It's one of the areas where my only-childness really shines through. As for their lists, they both did a great job of keeping them short.  They were even open to editing and reducing their requests when we went over them.  For example,  Sarah asked for a pair of sparkly TOMS this year.  I am not a big fan of TOMS because I think the resemble schlumpy house shoes. When I realized that TOMS cost $42 (plus tax and shipping) I couldn't justify paying that much money for these shoes, even if they do promise to give a like pair of shoes to someone in need with my purchase (give me two pairs for $42 dollars and then I'll buy your shoes).  Fortunately for me,  the thing that my daughter liked most about the TOMS was their silver sparkliness so she was more than happy to substitute the (very cheap) sparkly silver shoes we found at Target and take the TOMS off her list.  She's calling her new shoes BOBS.



BOBS
They're nothing like TOMS 
at a fraction of the price.