The thought of new items occupying this new space dampened my spirit. I did not want to have to repeat this headache of purging and sorting, but how could I not allow my children the fun of receiving gifts from their loving grandparents and relatives? My children would not understand, particularly my sons with autism. Tradition dictated that Christmas celebrations included Mass and presents!
At the same time that I faced this problem, I really wanted my whole family to go on a vacation. Time and money were always in short supply. After weeks of pondering these issues, I asked my husband what he thought of this solution: instead of receiving toys, why don't we ask the relatives who were inclined to give our sons gifts, that they give money towards a trip, like Disneyland. He liked the idea.
We approached the grandparents, and they were thrilled with the idea. No more guessing of what toys or games to purchase. No more questions of what size, color, or brand of clothing might the grandkids like. No more crowds at the malls. No more fighting for parking spaces. No more shipping charges and post office lines. Indeed, we were on to something.
On Christmas morning, there were small packages for everyone to open. Inside the boxes were tickets to Disneyland. The boys were absolutely astounded. We also received a dvd so the kids could actually see what Disneyland was like. They had no problem understanding that this was a huge vacation.
The following week we experienced great fun and apprehension, but I will cover that in a different post. The ultimate conclusion was a simplified Christmas, for both the givers and receivers, and a wonderful family vacation that we have since repeated five times annually.
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