Yes, I know it is only September, but living in the North has me purchasing christmas gifts early.
With only one store in Yellowknife that I can purchase items for the kids (excluding the electronic stores), I tend to do my shopping online.
My biggest problem this year is the “pre-teen Christmas”. If you ask the boys what they would like this year, their response is always the same…laptops and cell phones.
I have 2 issues with this:
- Both Dave and I feel they are too young for laptops and cell phones
- Aren’t they still just kids? What happened to marbles and skipping ropes?
It seems that all my boys are interested in is technology…not sure if that is a bad thing. What I do know that instead of calling friends on the weekend they would rather plant their arses in front of the computer playing games.
Unfotunately, my kids don’t have any friends on the street where they live. We do allow them to take their bikes to go visiting a friend, whick works out okay for the oldest, but the youngest’s friends live on the other side of town. We have talked about moving many times, even looked at houses and put in offers, but housing prices are crazy in YK and we have decided to stay put for another year.
This of course leads me up to winter and Christmas. With cold dark days in the winter and not much playing outside, we have to fill their time with indoor activities. There is only so many board games you can play. When friends used to visit last year they would be playing with Nerf guns in the house, dressing up in old halloween costumes and running around. Sometimes they would play a board game or air hockey. But this year is different. When friends come over I have to force them out of the house to go on the trampoline, ride their bikes, play basketball. All they and their friends want to do is play on the computer or video games.
Maybe I am taking this all too serious…maybe I am just being a boring mom.
This Christmas may be their last for believing in Santa. The toothfairy case has been cracked wide open, Easter Bunny is about 80% false right now, and Santa…well I am sure the disbelief is weighing on their minds.
I guess overall I want them to be excited and happy about Christmas and not disappointed in the gifts we choose not to get them.
This may be a LONG WINTER!!!!!
