Chrsitmas Family Style...

So the year before Hubby started Trucking we did a family Christmas.. This year we have decided to bring it back and it's here to stay.. We will no longer have a consumerism Christmas in our family. Yes Santa will exsist but he will be there to bring us closer as a family.

Our last family Chrsitmas brought us the Wii.. with only kid freindly games allowed and movement of course encouraged it has brought us some wonderful family times.. and the adults and kids love playing together.. I don't regret it at all..

While this is still being played with.. last years toys were broke within days, lost within hours or taken away after a few months.. Are we teaching our kids anything? Are we wasting money? Are we becoming closer as a family?    The family Wii Christmas my answers were yes, no and yes... Last years Christmas answers were   no, yes, and no...

So the family Christmas has been adopted and will be here to stay. This years theme is Terrarium.  Yes an odd theme but after thinking about it a good one. Instead of spending a bunch of money on junk we are buying a bigger aquarium and expanding our family of tree frogs, lizzards, fish, and Fire Belly Toads. With a 90 Gallon tank that will fit on a tv stand my parents gave us almost 5 years ago that was of course theirs first, we can save a lot. Then with the sale at our local shop and the deals they are having it will still be cheaper then what we would have gotten for the kids.

Each child will receive in their stocking one small item tailored to them, such as flash cards for Colty, a doll outfit for Kyera  for her AG doll and Knee socks for Pewee. They will also have bright pictures of a few animals.. such as a tree frog or anole or fire belly toad and that child will tun one picture in and they get to pick out one of that animal at the pet store. Since we can only add 3 new animals to the tank at once this will make it so each gets to pick something different every time :)

How does this add to my family? Well instead of watching TV were watching our guys, were talking about them and were learning about them, we ALL help feed them.. and yea mom is the one sticking her hands in their to clean it LOL   But we are spending time as a family and building memories with our kids..

I was so happy when Corey suggested another "Family Gift" from Santa.. because Christmas is not about the gifts but about the time spent as a family being a family and showing our love, it's about the sweet children and their smiles and about the true gift of love...  This to me is no small blessing but an abundant one! 
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