Je veux des moments



I've acquired my Mam and my Grandparents' determination that Christmas shopping is something to be done at leisure. Something you do over time, not in a hurried, panic-ridden fashion in December. That does sometimes lead to interesting decisions and conversations though. 

I bought the first 3 2020 Christmas presents back in January, and have stored them ever since. When I see things, or when things pop up on my Facebook or Online feeds, I buy them. Keep them until they're needed. But I also write a list so I don't forget what I already have and who it's for.

Over the years, my shopping has decreased dramatically. With present buying for my own lg (now both girls) following a rough guide of:
Something they WANT
Something they NEED
Something to WEAR
Something to READ. 
It's relatively straightforward, and stops me from just buying everything I see that I think they'd like. 

Over the past few years, I've become more determined than ever that I will not buy things for my children, just because I like it myself. 

In recent years, myself and my eldest have sorted her things. We've cut out the baggage that was just there. An ongoing process that never really stops. Passed things on to others. Sold things she (and I) no longer wants on local selling pages so she / we have the money to buy what she and we now want. 

I've done the same with my own things. Keeping only what I use, wear, or has serious sentimental value. Changed things to make them work rather than keeping things just because. 

So what's happened with less stuff? Less stuff means better play. Better interaction. More engagement with each other. My lg actively asks to play with things she can't quite reach. I relaxed into baking, sewing and reading again. 

Most importantly, not living in a house crammed with stuff gave us all the freedom to enjoy what we already had. And make the most of the time with each other. To do things together. 

My youngest has fewer toys. Fewer gadgets. More time with us. More play. Less junk. 

Going places. Doing things together. That's more important than stuff.

And that's what I want to keep. A home where time is valued more than stuff. Where the time we spend together is more important than the items handed over. Where we have what we need, and the space to enjoy using it.

Because the memories themselves, for the most part. Will last far longer than the things we bought to remember them by. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Plus je vieillis ...

Image
One of my friends shared the Jamie Lee Curtis quote a while ago on FB, and, basically, it set my head thinking a lot. This year has been full of drama of various kinds, not least because of all the chaos caused by COVID.  As a result, this year has been hard.  Really hard.  Between juggling expectations, the constant moving goalposts, as well as general family life, this year has been one I don't ever want to repeat. I've learnt a lot about me though too.  And some of the things that I've learnt are that I am actually a lot tougher than I ever believed.  Yes, it's not always been an easy ride, and getting to the middle of December has been a roller coaster of epic proportions, but, generally, I have come out of it mentally tougher than I went in. I was struck by Jamie Lee Curtis' sentiments.  They pretty much sum up what I want out of life; to relax in my own home, surrounded by people who are supportive and that I know I can turn to when I need to, without...
Read more

When school feels a bit like the Hokey Kokey

It's been a while since I last wrote a blog post. Mainly because, as a family, we've spent most of our time together. In the house, juggling work, study, playing with a baby and home teaching a 7yo.  Like most families, that juggling act has taken a bit of time to get used to. But we've got there. With a bit of 'ooops' when you've got 3 TEAMS meetings overlapping 🙈 Now though, it seems that we are facing being forced to send our children back to school*. And, here in Wales at least, the threat of an extended school term, taking away our children's relaxation time because someone, somewhere, has decided that they are 'behind'. Behind what exactly? OK, we, as a society might have to concede that many of our children aren't currently keeping up with the target driven curriculum that has been constructed for them.  And yes, there will be a minority of children who really do need additional intervention that is realistically only possible in a school...
Read more

Lockdown Christmas

Image
  This year, getting to Christmas has been tough.  For someone who usually throws themselves at the festive season with gusto, this year has seemed a lot like a damp squib, for many reasons. This year, it's my eldest's Dad's turn for actual Christmas day.  And that means that she will miss most of her sister's first Christmas day.  OK, her sister probably won't remember.  But she will.  So we'd planned to do lots of the fun Christmas stuff before the day itself.  Except COVID had other ideas.  And our pre-Christmas out of the house activities were curtailed by the phone call from school telling us that my eldest needed to isolate for almost the entire pre-Christmas period.  So no walks to see the twinkly lights.  No trip to town to see the window displays.  No dash to the shop to buy the new star for the top of the tree. The final blow came when, a week ahead of schedule, Wales was plunged into lockdown-3 with only a few hours' warn...
Read more