Christmas Joy or Drudgery?

Wow, just the title of this post screams SCROOGE!  I really do like Christmas.  I always have.  It's just now that I'm a mom and a gramma there are so many people to buy for that it makes shopping almost too impersonal.

I have six kids, four of them with spouses.  So, there's ten people right there.  Then there are eight grandkids, parents, inlaws etc etc to buy for.  Even if I make a long list I feel like I'm not putting a lot of thought into each person's gifts. In years past I would ask the kids(not grandkids) for lists.  But just buying from a list makes me feel like I really didn't "pick" a gift for them.  Does that make sense?

Three of my grandsons were all born within four months of each other. I refer to those three boys as "the little boys" even though there is another little grandson a year behind them. Last year they were all two years old at Christmastime.  So, I pretty much just shopped for them by age and not by personality or tastes.  Yes, two year olds do have different tastes.   I need to stop shopping for them as a unit, buying three of the same thing and calling it good.

Last, but not least.  Money.  Yep, it's the root of all evils that makes the world go around but does NOT grow on trees.  I have enough to buy decent gifts for everyone.  The tricky part is making sure that everyone gets about the same amount spent on them.  In the past we've always gone by how much we spent on each person but that does not work well when I  find a great item for 75% off of it's normal price.  Not that my kids are nasty and compare their gifts to what others get but I definitely don't want any hurt feelings.  So, I'm stressing already about shopping.  In the next couple of days I hope to make a list of ideas for each person. I need to do something so the shopping part is enjoyable.  Let's face it, shopping should NEVER EVER feel like drudgery.

With all that said I must say this- Christmas at our house is wonderful.  It's loud and busy, kids laughing, kids crying, music playing, christmas wrapping ripping.  We almost lost "the little boys" last year in the 3ft foot tall pile of discarded wrapping paper.  It doesn't get any better.

I'll post my shopping experiences soon.  Is anyone done with their shopping?

I'm not a writer

I'm not a writer. I recently told a friend that I cannot even write a good grocery list and that's the God's honest truth. Was I not paying attention somewhere in my schooling and missed the "How to Write" lessons? Or maybe, just maybe, writing is one more talent I do not possess. Because it IS talent. I recognize this when I get caught up in someone else's blog and forget what I was doing there.

I use my status as SAHM as an excuse to say that I really don't have anything interesting to blog about. Not everyone who blogs talks about themselves though. As a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, member of the human race there must be something I can try to put in to words that might interest people.

So, I'm going to give it my best shot. Please just remember. I am NOT a writer. I am a reader who would love to learn to write.

What do you think makes a good writer?