Why all the hype?

I am suffering from Christmas let down.

Sometimes I wonder if it's not better to just  forgo the Christmas hype in favour of going somewhere as a family and spending time together.
We spend obscene amounts of money for 'stuff' and for what....I'm betting most of what Mary and Connor got will end up freecycled within the year.
Emily was thrilled with her $250 electronics but was still longing for the elusive Bench jacket (which she snagged on sale for boxing day today)

I feel sorry for myself because I picked one of my gifts so it wasn't wrapped (a leather jacket) and I got a wad of cash with an IOU for another (the Tassimo) because they are sold out, quite literally everywhere so it felt like I really didn't open anything for Christmas this year.

I feel sorry for myself because it was the first time in 8 years that Sean and I were both off work together for the entire holiday and then he got sick for 4 days of it. So I worked up the fun, family time in my head and it didn't happen.

And then I think - you dumbass, Christmas is for the kids - they loved it.
And then I see my mom, sad, depressed and wishing not for presents but to have my Dad here with her and I feel about this big for feeling sorry for myself over something so trivial.  Sean might have been sick in bed....but at least he was sick in bed.....

I think when my kids grow up I'll do just that, skip Christmas...just like in the John Grisham book (which was made into a stupid movie "Christmas with the Kranks" with Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and  Dan Aykroyd - the book was much better)

Of course, by then we'll probably have grandkids and then I still won't be able to skip Christmas.

Next year - I'm going to be realistic.