The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.
Happy winter solstice! (I'm writing this late Saturday night, so it counts.) We've never done Santa with our kids (insert your outrage here) because we dislike the idea of lying to them. "Be nice to your brother, or Santa isn't going to bring you anything!" I want my kiddos to be nice to each other because it's the right thing to do, not because a bearded man is watching them from the sky. I remember being so, so angry at my parents when I discovered Santa wasn't real, and that was after I defended his existence to a classroom full of non-believers. I was humiliated, angry, and swore I would never make my children feel that way. This is not an attack on parents who choose to Santify their children's childhoods, but an explanation of why we don't. I actually have very fond memories of Santa from my childhood, like a note my dad wrote with shaky letters (Santa was cold, obvs).
News:
Happy winter solstice! (I'm writing this late Saturday night, so it counts.) We've never done Santa with our kids (insert your outrage here) because we dislike the idea of lying to them. "Be nice to your brother, or Santa isn't going to bring you anything!" I want my kiddos to be nice to each other because it's the right thing to do, not because a bearded man is watching them from the sky. I remember being so, so angry at my parents when I discovered Santa wasn't real, and that was after I defended his existence to a classroom full of non-believers. I was humiliated, angry, and swore I would never make my children feel that way. This is not an attack on parents who choose to Santify their children's childhoods, but an explanation of why we don't. I actually have very fond memories of Santa from my childhood, like a note my dad wrote with shaky letters (Santa was cold, obvs).
However, we do still celebrate with our extended families and exchange gifts of our own. Our monsters opened all of their presents this morning, so we've had an awesome day of toy-assembling and battery-finding. 😉 It's really been a fun-filled day with the kiddos (Battleship, Old Maid, LEGO building), and I'm so happy my husband's deployment ended before the holidays! It wouldn't have been the same without him.
I spent most of yesterday getting small tattoos to fill in the gaps on my arm! I liked how the larger tattoos looked on their own, but I'm happy with how the smaller ones compliment the spaces around them. It might look like a chaotic mess to most people, but the images are meaningful to me. I love how they tell their own story, and highlight some of my favorite things in life. I've posted some pictures on my Instagram, and will post more once these have healed.
Previous week on the blog:
Sunday: The Sunday Post [33]
Monday: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1) by Rin Chupeco ⋆⋆⋆
Tuesday: NA
Wednesday: Read the Alphabet Challenge 2020
Friday: Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Saturday: NA
What I'm currently reading:
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Lost Girl: A Shelby Day Novel by Holly Kammier
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
What I plan on reading next:
Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin
Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Wolf Gone Wild (Stay A Spell, #1) by Juliette Cross
What I'm watching:
The kids and I snuggled together on the couch this morning and watched The Grinch (the original) after opening presents and navigating the initial insanity of new toys. We still haven't seen the newest animation, although I've heard it's pretty good. I think it's on Netflix? My husband and I spent some time this afternoon watching the season finale of The Masked Singer, because trying to avoid spoilers for this show is hard. The Rottweiler totally threw me!
Challenge updates:
Audiobook Challenge: 43 / 30+
Beat the Backlist Challenge: 96 / 100
Discussion Challenge: 5 / 11-20
Goodreads Challenge: 440 / 500
Beat the Backlist Challenge: 96 / 100
Discussion Challenge: 5 / 11-20
Goodreads Challenge: 440 / 500
Don't forget to check the list of giveaways in the sidebar! Most of them are ending soon!
This year I am partnering with the lovely ladies from Novels and Notions, and we're doing a little something called: Read the Alphabet Challenge. What? Another challenge? Yes! Why not? We all love challenging ourselves, and this one has very unique limitations. Starting in January, you will be challenged to read books that start with specific letters, and obviously some months will be harder than others (what books start with Q, X & Z??). If this sounds like your cup of tea, check out the original post here. It's more detailed, and there's already a form for those of you wanting to join.
LOL! I love that you don't make your children believe in Santa. I'm not sure what we are going to do yet, since our girl is almost 16 months, but I feel something for both ways. I think believing in Santa makes December a little more magical, but I also agree on what you're saying. I guess we'll just how things go.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're having a great time with your family.
Merry Christmas and happy reading!
It wasn't a decision we made lightly, because we both remembered what it was like to believe in Santa. However, we decided it wasn't worth it if it meant we had to lie to them for most of their childhood. Sometimes it's hard to know what the right decision is!
DeleteI totally get why you're not doing Santa! We did it for a little while, but when my kids started asking if I believed in Santa, I said that it was kind of part of my childhood, and that I wanted to believe. That way, I didn't lie to them, and they had the choice to believe or not, too.
ReplyDeleteYour new books look fantastic! I hope you'll enjoy them all.
Have a wonderful Christmas and happy reading.
Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
I like that you left it up to them! They get to enjoy the fun of Santa when they're young, but you also aren't lying to them as the get older. I think you found a nice way to balance it out!
DeleteI never gave all the gifts from Santa, just one, usually, and one year, my daughter told me that some kid in her class told her Santa wasn't real. She then told him he was, because I couldn't afford the gift he gave her. Yeah, I laughed for a few days after that.
ReplyDeleteMy parents would do "family gifts" on Christmas Eve (usually clothes and other items we needed), and "Santa gifts" on Christmas Day. There would be an exorbitant amount of presents under the tree, and my parents always acted equally surprised by what was under there. I love that your daughter told her classmates Santa was real because the gift was expensive! ;)
DeleteSounds like yesterday was a fun-filled day. I love that the games/toys are all so old-school. :) And how great that your husband is home for all of it. :)
ReplyDeleteOld-school?? Tanya! They're the best games! ;) My kids really enjoyed playing Old Maid (the girls are still a little young for it), and Battleship was a big hit with my son. My husband was on his "team" the first few times we played, until he figured out how to play on his own. Now he's obsessed! <3
DeleteOops, maybe I phrased my comment wrong. I wasn't making fun or criticizing! I was trying to say that it's awesome that you gifted such traditional toys. Those were things I played with in the 70's. :) It's great to see they're still around and enjoyed... and that it's not all about the expensive electronic toys and game systems. :)
DeleteI wasn't being serious! I knew you were saying it as a good thing, and I was joking with you in return. I'm sorry it didn't translate well. <3 I'm all about classic games and movies -- we played Operation and Guess Who this morning. :)
DeleteYour time with family sounds like its been wonderful, I’m glad your husband is home to be a part of it.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week!
Thank you! We're really happy he's here to celebrate with us. :)
Delete"We've never done Santa with our kids (insert your outrage here) because we dislike the idea of lying to them. "Be nice to your brother, or Santa isn't going to bring you anything!" I want my kiddos to be nice to each other because it's the right thing to do, not because a bearded man is watching them from the sky."
ReplyDeleteHeck, yes! And I'm sorry for your childhood Santa incident...
So you opened your gifts already? Any particular reason why you don't do it on Christmas morning? Just curious.
I guess you'll post again before Christmas, and anyway, I'll probably catch you on Twitter - but Happy Holidays!
I was in fourth grade, Roberta! FOURTH. It was humiliating. Every time I asked my parents about Santa, they swore he was real, and that the other kids were just jealous they no longer received presents from him (because they were bad/didn't believe). I trusted my parents, and I was ridiculed for my misplaced beliefs. I also don't like the idea of children believing in Santa, but having a living situation that doesn't allow them to get gifts. What must they think about themselves? Why would Santa give a bully at school a new, expensive gift, while they got new socks and a sweater? How do you think they feel?
DeleteYes! We've already opened our gifts. We've always liked the idea of doing it on the winter solstice. My mom likes for us to be at her house on Christmas, so we typically do that. It also spaces out when the kiddos get presents, so it's not an avalanche all on the same day. Happy holidays! <3
Ouch! Fourth grade? I hear you!
Delete"I also don't like the idea of children believing in Santa, but having a living situation that doesn't allow them to get gifts. What must they think about themselves? Why would Santa give a bully at school a new, expensive gift, while they got new socks and a sweater? How do you think they feel?"
You know, I didn't think of that, but you're so right.
I hate that there are kids out there that believe in Santa, yet get absolutely nothing for Christmas. Yes, they might understand later, but that's LATER. How many years do the spend thinking there's something wrong with them, or that Santa simply doesn't care?
DeleteI think its great that you took a stand against societal norms regarding santa. I wish people would do this with elf on the shelf too....
ReplyDeleteThe read the alphabet challenge sounds interesting! I will check it out for sure!
We've never done Elf on the Shelf! I think it's suuuper creepy, haha. I know teachers that use the elf in their classrooms year-round, so the kids think they're being "watched" even when the teacher isn't looking.
DeleteI hope you decide to participate in the Read the Alphabet Challenge! The more the merrier. <3
I'm glad you are enjoying your holiday season and that your husband is home. I wish you the best days with your family, some relaxing, great reads and yummy food.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart Here is my Sunday Post
Thank you! We haven't had a lot of overly yummy food -- just our normal weekly meals, haha. We have been relaxing and enjoying our time together, and I'm thankful for that. <3
DeleteI'm glad to hear you're having a good time. We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve so there isn't a crazy rush to get up at 4am when the kids want to open everything. lol
ReplyDeleteOur kids know we open everything on the winter solstice, so they were up early anyways. ;)
DeleteEnjoy Sorcery of Thorns. Question Lindsi: aren't you afraid of angry parents if your kids tell the others that Santas does note exist? LOL
ReplyDeleteWe've explained to him that other children might believe in Santa, and it isn't nice to tell them otherwise (he doesn't have to lie, but he also doesn't have to correct them). They're allowed to trust their parents, and he doesn't have to volunteer that he knows differently. He has corrected a child before, but the child didn't believe him, and we simply reminded him that it's not his responsibility to prove or disprove Santa's existence.
DeleteI hope you had a good solstice! I like the idea of spacing out the presents. When I was a kid, I got some on Christmas Eve night and some on Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Same! We did gifts from family on Christmas Eve, and Santa on Christmas Day. :)
DeleteI don't thik you're alone, I think lots of people struggle with the Santa thing. I know we did too. Hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't an easy decision! We thought about doing Santa until they started school, but there were unavoidable holes in that plan as well, so we just decided to skip doing it altogether. Hopefully they don't hate us later. ;)
DeleteSanta only filled the stockings at our house. He didn't bring presents. We never did the Santa is watching you thing either. Too creepy. Ha ha. That's why I don't get the Elf on a Shelf thing. 🎅
ReplyDeleteI'll have to hop over to IG to see if I missed any new tattoo pics! 💪
Have a wonderful holiday week! 🎉
I like the idea of Santa only filling stockings! My parents/Santa always stuffed ours with candy and small toys, but we got presents too. It's really creepy to tell your kids a bearded man is watching them from the North Pole, or that an elf in the house keeps track of what you're doing. Gross. ;)
DeleteThe idea of spacing out presents sounds great. Also, Nameless Queen is one that I'm eagerly waiting on. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it. Happy holidays! :)
ReplyDeleteKrystianna @ Volumes and Voyages
I'm starting it soon!! I'm juggling a few January releases, but moved this one up the list after getting it in the mail. :)
DeleteYou wont get Santa outrage from me! We let our kid believe what he wanted to believe and never pushed Santa. What was amazing is that he picked up on Santa almost by cultural osmosis... But we never used him as a ransom/blackmail tool for good behaviour and also never confirmed or denied his existence, lol. The kid decided himself last year that Santa wasn't real "outside of a nice concept" lol, and then we had to have the chat about not ruining it for other kids if they still believed... Honestly, Santa is a pain in the ass!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a nice celebration!
I like the idea of just not confirming or denying Santa, but letting your child come to their own conclusion. We've told ours that Santa is like the characters in their storybooks -- fun to read about, but limited to the pages. They still like watching Santa-themed movies! By the way, have you seen Klaus?? SO GOOD. Santa really is a pain in the ass, haha. I don't want my child to lie to the other kids, but I also don't want parents getting upset with him for "ruining" something about their child's childhood.
DeleteI believed in Santa for a really long time, but my mom kind of always let me make up my own mind, so it wasn't a bad experience. I think there are a lot of reasons NOT to tell your kids about Santa though, and it sounds like you found what works for you and your kids, so that's awesome.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
It's such a gray area! I can see the benefits of pretending there's a Santa, but I feel like the negatives outweigh the positives. It's nice that your mom left it up to you! :)
Delete