Wrapped

Every year when our Christmas morning happens I'm tired. I don't do well when I'm tired, it transforms me into a super bitch and the only thing worse than me tired and bitchy is when it's my own damn fault.

Having step kids can be is a delicate balancing act come gift giving events. Getting presents they'll love, not breaking the bank, not getting the same toys they have at the other parents house, and making sure no one appears to be getting preferential treatment- it's a headache. I despise shopping (especially during the holidays) so every year I get all my shopping done by Black Friday but I question my purchases making sure everything is super fair up until the morning night I wrap everything.

Why do I wait to wrap??? Inevitably, when the kids wake up (way too early for anybody's sanity) I'm grumpy and tell them they need to go back to sleep and not shake the presents. 20 minutes later they're still next to the tree shaking presents and not going to sleep (like there was ever a chance!) so I'm forced to wake up and give them the okay to open before they break something shaking. I'm so tired and resentful of having stayed up too late wrapping presents, that a) I'm annoyed when they just rip the paper to shreds and not even notice what is inside or belongs to whom when I  spent hours putting it all together; and b) can't believe the gifts I put the most thought into they literally toss aside with the trash but the $2 stocking stuffer I got to buy me that 20 minutes of sleep in the morning becomes the coolest (albeit easily broken) present ever! Why do I even spend the money? I should just be getting them very large cardboard boxes and some McGyver tape.

Let me also say that I happen to be a huge grinch. HUGE. My sister only broke the spell on me and put a little jolly in my step a few years back and sadly it's starting to wear off.

Oh how I despise the season of the gimmes. For everything you say it is, it's not. It's not represented right, it's not celebrated right, and it most certainly is not seen right (you need to buy me this- um, no). 

Anyway, this year I'm trying very hard to forget Grinch and let the magic shine. I've been eager to cancel Christmas all summer and it actually was canceled just a few short weeks ago (I'm almost ashamed to admit just how giddy that was making me) and then someone *cough* stopped with the bad apple routine. I will be the first to say I am thrilled at this side of him I'm seeing again (even if only for a few weeks). So thrilled in fact, that I want to make this year special (like I do every year) even when I thought there wasn't a chance in Hades that I'd ever bring it back when it took this long to straighten out. I'll take this moment to personally thank my family for raising me with the 'better late then never' mantra.

I did all the Elf work this year before the big night (it really helps that I'm aiming to dial that down by a thousand!) and tonight I finished wrapping all the presents minus the iPods for the kids (I want to get all their requested movies/songs on them first) and 1 sd card that hadn't come in the mail yet. I even went and wrapped my Elephant Bingo gifts and January Birthday presents gifts all at the same time.

We're still going round and round a bit this year how our celebration can/will be but at least I'm trying....

Happy Merry Everything!