Picture via gospelcenteredfamily.com
Every year since we were little my mother has insisted on all of us writing out Christmas lists for her to give to Santa. Now that the youngest of us has finally dropped the Santa act and the lists are for her and for us to know what to get each other for Christmas honestly, I don’t blame her. It is hard to read the minds of four kids, a husband, and two grandparents and no one wants to sit around the tree opening up bad sweaters and ugly boots every year (even through we still do kind of do that sometimes? lol).
So a few years ago I had an idea. It was November and my mother was wanting everyone’s list on a piece of paper even though my siblings were in college, my dad was flying back and forth, she was running her own business, and I was busy at work. She was frustrated that no one was acquiescing to her requests but it was honestly just hard to think of what we “wanted” on the spot and then to give that to her on a piece of paper that neither one of us would ever see again (It’s not that we are a forgetful family but umm what were we talking about?). And then it hit me…Google Docs!
So that year I went on Google Docs, created a document with all of our names in it, decorated it with a Christmas picture, and included a list of rules.
As you can see I had an extensive yet simple list of directions but I was so excited because I figured this document would allow my family to list things they wanted early enough for us to buy them without stress. People would be able to update their lists as ideas came to them and we could even add LINKS! My mom would always have ALL of our lists in one place and we weren’t married to whatever we gave her on a random piece of paper a month or a week before Christmas.
Suffice it to say she was not a fan.
My mother, though she is an aerospace engineer, is not a fan of new tech and/or change. She wanted to physically hold the eight lists in her hand and carry them all with her as she drove around the city shopping for us?!? Unfortunately for her, everyone one else in the family was ecstatic at this idea and took to it at once.
So now every year since then we have used our Family Christmas Google Doc and even Mom has started to love it. I usually create it around late September early October and people update it from then until honestly the week before Christmas!
As you can see we are a Charlie Brown and Snoopy family so I always have a picture of Snoopy or the whole Peanuts gang on it for decoration. I also still give an abridged set of directions just in case and then we take it from there. It is one of my favorite Christmas traditions; especially when my brothers help each other update their lists. (I think someone added that the other wanted a bag of farts and boloney sandwiches to the list?) I hope this type of Christmas fun can last forever.
What is a Holiday tradition that you have with your family? How do you shop for each other? How do you all like to celebrate?
Welcome Home Love 