How To React To Your Christmas Gift - Parent Style

There comes a point when your children stop bringing you home the adorable whatevers they made in preschool. No longer do you get the reindeer made out of their footprints or the family trees made out of their fingerprints or really anything made out of any prints. Your children may even go through a period where they are unaware that perhaps they should do a little Christmas shopping for you. And this is okay, because (a) if it is your first child, you are happy with seeing their joy at Christmas, and (b) if it's your second or 19th child, you have an idea of what's to come.

So in that spirit, I would like to offer some exhibits of how to react to your child's Christmas present to you and then offer some pointers.

Exhibit 1 - Because what mother doesn't want her own weed eater for Christmas?

Exhibit 2 - Because what dad doesn't want a big fish pillow for Christmas?

And with those, here are some pointers ...

1. Appear overjoyed at whatever it is and act like it's the best present ever. Because it sort of is. Because (a) you got a present, and (b) your child gave it to you, which means (c) your child is no longer the self-absorbed spoiled brat he/she was a few days ago when he/she pitched a double-doozy fit about what he/she had to have for Christmas or else his/her life would be ruined.

2. Admit that this was what you always wanted. Because you've never had your own weed eater or big fish pillow. And on the list of things you never had, these would definitely be on them. And you would never have enjoyed the pleasure of these gifts had you not been given them (by the way, the year of the big fish pillow, I got flame seat covers for my car - which I promptly put on and used). So instead of thinking of the gift as something you may not have necessarily put on your Christmas list, think of it as a new opportunity.

3. Use whatever the gift is. Sleep with the big fish pillow, and/or the weed eater. Make sure the gift giver sees you using the gift. Why? Because trust me, just when you think you've seen it all in terms of your Christmas gifts, you ain't seen nothing yet!!

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Today is a gift because: several Amazon packages arrived in the mail; new sewing machine success; starting/finishing the only "make it" gifts