Christmas Eve is Over

In about 20 minutes the clock strikes midnight here in Sweden, and Christmas Eve hands the holiday reins to Christmas Day. To us that’s the first day after Christmas; we celebrate on the Eve with good food and gifts.

It’s been a very good day, and I’m happy and grateful that I have such a wonderful family to share it with. It hasn’t been like other Christmases at all, yet in many ways the same. The kids are growing and this year none of them believes in Santa anymore. Of course they still want the gifts usually signed as coming from him! Knowing the truth is not allowed to come with a price 😉

For many years now our kids have only received one gift each on Christmas Eve, and then woken up the next day to find one or two to share from ”Santa”. There are many friends and relatives who want to give them something, but not everyone can. Maybe they haven’t met our kids enough lately to know what they like; maybe they don’t have the economy to buy and ship something.

I think the solution was my wife’s idea: anyone who wants to give our kids a Christmas gift can send us money that goes into a pool that pays the gifts, and they get their name on the card. It allows us to give them something bigger or of higher quality. It allows us to split the money unevenly between the gifts, because different wants and needs cost differently. Most importantly it doesn’t only absolve everyone else from having to find generic trinkets within their respective budgets, but also from potentially feeling like they’re in a competition of means. It doesn’t matter if you send us $1 or $100, your name is still on the card.

And the kids always get excited when they hear the long list of people who’ve contributed to their gifts.

-- CC0 ew0k, 2021-12-24